


Lex Talionis

by SatanIsALibra



Category: Naruto
Genre: Camaraderie, Friendship, Solidarity, itachi probably just showed up for the food, kabuto is a dick, kisame is actually a decent teacher, orochimaru is a controlling assclown, sasuke hates everyone, this story has been brought to you by a fifth of evan williams and a bucket of twizzlers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:48:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23035009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatanIsALibra/pseuds/SatanIsALibra
Summary: It was no secret that Orochimaru thought himself as impervious to karma as he was to death. Tsumoi begged to differ, and she vowed to be the one to hand-deliver it to him. Of course, she had to remember who the hell she was first. Between the missing swaths of her memory and the museum of scar tissue accumulating on the back of her head, she was losing sight of herself, and her humanity. However, there was one thing she knew for certain: a mind is a terrible thing to let Kabuto stick his fingers in.Or, the one where one of Orochimaru's test subjects joins the Akatsuki, fucks some shit up, and later returns to make the snake Sannin's life a living hell.(Female OC-centric. Created my own, because writing female characters who aren’t wasting their lives chasing some dude does not seem to be Kishimoto's strong point. Not a romance.)
Kudos: 8





	1. Make No Bones About It

A fluorescent bulb was the only source of light to be scouted in the vast chamber, the incessant buzzing like that of a disgruntled wasp caught in a jar and twice shaken. The atmosphere here held a very specific and clammy kind of thickness, the kind that curls around your belly and squeezes until you feel a frozen uneasiness that falls somewhere between nervousness and nausea. Somewhere in the distance, the rhythmic, echoey plink of water droplets can be heard.  


This place that is Hell to most is the one that Orochimaru had slapped a welcome mat in front of and decided to call home (this month, at least, lest the hunter nin who searched for them endlessly discover it sooner). Based solely on the amount of daylight they exhausted, and how the moon hung low in the sky when they finally caught sight of their destination, she surmised that they had sprinted for roughly a day's time before they had arrived. Kabuto had told her that this particular hideout housed "Lord Orochimaru's greatest scientific achievements"...which was a glossier way of saying that it contained his most heinous menagerie of ethically dubious experiments.

Well, barely contained. She knew that several, now presumed captured by other villages or dead, had escaped permanently and were never found. Another handful had bolted in an attempt to free themselves from the agony that was life as a lab rat, but their freedom was only temporary. They were all recovered.

Runners, the guards called them.

And everyone knew what happened to a runner.

She had been kept in the previous hideout for the last three years, her quarters conveniently located adjacent to the room they took them to, and she knew a runner when she heard one. Their screams were always different than the others'; they always followed blubbering apologies. The ones most vital to Orochimaru's research were beaten by the guards within an inch of their lives, but placed back into their cells before the release of death could claim them. Others who were considered less important were tortured slowly until the life drained from their desperate eyes, and they were subsequently discarded. Often, Orochimaru himself would deliver their punishment, and she had become accustomed to his taunts and mocking as he brought his disorderly subjects to the brink of the abyss and laughed darkly as he slit their throats and sent them over.   


Forced to live in constant fear, many imprisoned here wished to perish; for death was the only freedom to be found in places like this one. Tsumoi was different, if only because she had been with the serpent and his henchman for so long that she no longer wanted for anything. Life here had become manageable. Sure, the embers of hope that shimmered inside of her had been weakened through time and torture, but she was not discouraged. Instead, she had fallen into compliance fueled by self-preservation; if she went through the motions, did as they asked of her, she would live long enough to one day be free again.   


With this simple motivation beaming in the back of her mind, she did as they willed her. She stopped fighting the guards when they dragged her into the operating theatre and strapped her down, where Kabuto proceeded to slice her head open time after time. She had stopped darting away from them every chance she managed to bite herself free before being snatched up and hurled back in her cell without supper. And in turn, they had stopped denying her food, stopped beating her bloody for retaliating. The makeshift brain surgeries had regrettably continued, though she figured it was what she had to do to remain alive.   


At this point, she hadn't been handled roughly in months. It had been so long now since they abused her that the fracture Kabuto had put in her wrist from a particularly brutal grasp had even had time to heal properly. Over time, she had managed to earn her captor's trust, and even a bit of favor, through good behavior alone. She was granted permission to move freely about the hideout, and when she had inquired about the possibility of her own room at this new hideout, she had been given one. She so looked forward to returning there after the operation was over.  


At the moment, however, she found herself face-down on a steel table with Kabuto's fingers wiggling around in her grey matter once again. It didn't hurt; the brain itself has no pain receptors. But still, she couldn't wait for it to be over. It was odd, not in a sense that could be physically felt. She figured it was merely the idea of it that was odd. Thinking about having someone rummaging around in her head spooked her. She felt a bit of pressure somewhere between her eyes, and it startled her a bit. Kabuto sighed with relief.

"There we go, all finished. I must admit, situating the device took longer than I anticipated. However, after some adjusting, I think I placed the leads correctly. Let's see, shall we?"

She heard him walk over to a monitor on the left side of the room. Her eye twitched as a switch was flipped, and there was a beep from one of the machines.

"Ah, there we go. It appears to be working splendidly. Lord Orochimaru will be most pleased with this development. After we get you stapled up and bandaged, we'll take you outside and see what you can do."

Something inside her ignited.

"You're letting me go outside?"

He caught onto her anticipation through her voice, and she felt his demeanor change.

"Don't get too excited. You may have proven your loyalty to us thus far, but the rules haven't changed. You run, you die."

The flame dwindled.

"Right."

She blinked, puzzled.

"What did you mean by 'what I can do?' Can't I do enough now?"

Kabuto laughed through his nose.

"It's true that you are a source of monstrous power all on your own, but you aren't the best at controlling it. This device should streamline your chakra and make you a bit more...efficient."

"But...why a device? I've seen the curse marks that Lord Orochimaru has placed on other subjects. Why not just place one of those on the back of my head? Why must your methods be so invasive?"

"The electrical impulses in your brain are directly correlated with Lord Orochimaru's ability to control you. Metal is optimal at conducting electricity. I'm sure you can figure out the rest." 

She laved her tongue over a chapped lip.

"I see."

She heard him gathering supplies so that he could close the wound he had made on the back of her head.

"As far as curse marks are concerned, technically, you will be under the influence of one. Orochimaru placed a special seal directly onto this device; its presence within your head will allow him complete control over your abilities."

Her heart sank. She made an effort to keep her voice steady.

"How so?"

"Think of it as a leash of sorts. Lord Orochimaru will be able to directly influence your thoughts and actions by tethering his chakra onto yours."

She swallowed thickly, the glob of saliva sliding down her throat and falling into the pit that her stomach had become.

"Mind control."

He hummed in agreement.

"Essentially, yes."

So this was the price of security, huh? Having all autonomy stripped away. She wanted to shake her head, but it was restrained to keep her from moving it.

"Now, let's close you up and get you on your feet. I'm sure Lord Orochimaru is looking forward to seeing his work in action."

She felt nothing as he replaced the cap of her skull and stapled the skin of her head together, only heard every time one of the latex gloves he wore lightly grazed her scalp and caught the stubble on it. Momentarily, she was transported back to what she could recall of her past. She remembered the feeling of running through the field of red poppy flowers by her home when she was a child, black hair fluttering behind her with every stride. It had been so long then.

"Will I ever be able to grow my hair out again?"

Kabuto's tone was flat as he focused on fixing her up.

"Probably not. Keeping it short is more convenient. I could be required to go back into your head at any time, and cutting it back each time would be a nuisance."

She didn't pursue it any further.

Twenty minutes later, she was given the okay to get up.

"Any pain or lightheadedness?"

"No, sir."

"Good. In that case, come with me."

* * *

Itachi was no stranger to the whims of his superiors, but this was ridiculous. Pein had sent himself and his shark of a partner to Suna to follow up on a piece of intel he had received about a contract hit. It seemed that the daimyo had enlisted a band of rogue ninja to track them down and dismantle their organzation. Of course, said daimyo had gone into hiding the second he caught onto the rumors that Akatsuki had obliterated the band of assassins and wringed the whole truth out of the leader of the pack before offing him. And as Pein had put it, a colleague of a colleague had a friend in Suna whose brother said they had heard the daimyo had fled there and holed himself away. It was a flimsy lead to be sure, but Pein had argued that it was the most solid intel they had received in months, and he wasn't wrong.  


Still, he couldn't help wondering if such unreliable intel was worth a five day trek nonstop across sprawling desert in 100+ degree weather. His partner was in agreement; Kisame had all but thrown in the towel on the third day when Pein had contacted them telepathically and suspended their current endeavor indefinitely.

_So, the information wasn't solid after all._  


After ordering they make haste to return to base, Pein had been gracious enough to grant them permission to find a place to rest and recuperate before making the journey back. That was how they found themselves confined to a cramped room in an inn somewhere northeast of Suna. They had rented one room with a single bed and a rollaway in an effort to conserve funds. Itachi, being the smaller framed and magnanimous of the two, forfeited the bed to his broad figured partner. At that point, though, he was so exhausted that he wouldn't have been opposed to sleeping on the floor.

"Four hours of sleep should be sufficient."

Kisame balked.

"Maybe for you. I was thinking more along the lines of seven or eight."

"Our leader expressed his desire for us to return quickly. We should adhere to that."

A disgruntled "hmpf" was all Itachi received in return before closing his eyes and succumbing to sleep.

* * *

Kabuto sure was in hurry to bring her to the snake. She figured keeping him waiting would just place him in the path of his temper, so he had worked as quickly to install the device as precision would allow. Kabuto was swift, but he wasn't careless. He made an effort to do things properly, and she was grateful for that.  


She presumed that Orochimaru was already outside, for they were walking down the corridor that exited on the east side of the compound. She couldn't shake the excitement bubbling up in her belly. The prospect of feeling grass beneath her bare feet for the first time in weeks had her feeling perfectly elated. Each step they took ushered her further into the throes of giddiness and anticipation and it took everything in her to maintain her smooth and expressionless exterior. The simple joys were the first taken from prisoners to break their spirits, and if they knew how much she was looking forward to this, they would surely never let her set foot outside again. Indeed, they favored her, but never enough to let her truly enjoy herself.   


Her breathing quickened as they approached the place where the ground opened up into the world above. The remaining evening sunlight flooded into the compound, and her eyes closed at the first touch of warmth on the front of her pale body as she ascended the steps. She couldn't wait to be outside.

* * *

The sun was still up, albeit lowly, when Pein roused the pair of Akatsuki from sleep an hour and a half later.  
Kisame looked like he was going to kill someone.  


They assumed the handsign that allowed them to project back to base and materialized, taking their respective places upon the fingers of the Gedo statue. The only other members present were Sasori and Deidara.   


"I have a new objective for you two. There has been talk that Orochimaru is concealing something within one of his bases. A weapon of sorts. Not as powerful as a tailed beast, of course, but something we could surely employ to bring our plans to fruition."

Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"What kind of weapon?"

"One of a very unique variety. I dare say another of quite the same calibre does not exist in this world."

Deidara's voice cracked.

"Well what the hell is it, hm?!" 

Pein procured a photograph from the sleeve of his cloak, the subject of which was a young girl; slight, with dark hair and dull blue eyes, no older than fifteen.

"I'm sure you'll have little trouble obtaining it."

Kisame's face dropped.

"A little girl? You want us to infiltrate one of Orochimaru's bases to find _a little girl_? You have got to be _kidding_ me."

Sasori laughed deep from inside Hiruko.

"Don’t fret, Kisame. With a personality as _nurturing_ as yours, I have no doubt that you’ll make an exceptional babysitter."

The shark’s growl was drowned out by Deidara’s sniggering.

Pein spoke again.

"Enough, Sasori. This photo was taken some time ago. Based on our calculations, the girl is presently at least eighteen years of age."

Deidara whistled.

"Cute...wonder what she looks like now, hm."

Kisame rolled his eyes.

Itachi spoke again.

"When do we leave?"

"Immediately. Make haste to the Village Hidden in the Grass. Zetsu is doing reconnaissance there as we speak. When he has collected a sufficient degree of information, he will contact you to further brief you on this assignment."

He paused.

”It goes without saying that I expect her to be brought in alive. Seeing that Kisame is exceedingly skilled at live captures, I have chosen to assign this task to the two of you. Do not disappoint me.”

Kisame sighed.

"I suppose this means that we won't be sleeping any longer."

Pein closed his eyes.

"You are dismissed."

The two allowed the jutsu to dispel. When they opened their eyes, they were back at the inn. Itachi stood, pulling his cloak back on.

"Let's go."

Kisame got up as well, wiping a massive blue hand down his groggy face.

"After you."

* * *

For all of Kabuto's worrying, Orochimaru appeared to be in a surprisingly mellow mood. Tsumoi figured that it must be because he had an interesting new toy to play with. 

"Tsumoi, my dear. I see you're patched up and ready to entertain us."

Dear. 

Ick.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here to see things along. I had a bit of...business to take care of."

He finished off with a coy chuckle. Cryptic as always.

"Kabuto, how did the operation go?"

"Quite well. The device was placed properly with no complications and is ready to be tested."

"Wonderful."

His voice came as a hiss and she could feel it all over her body. It made her sick.

Orochimaru gestured to a clearing in the midst of the trees ahead of them.

"Tsumoi, please wait over there while I retrieve your opponent."

Her brows furrowed. He had never done this before. Over the years, Tsumoi had engaged and conquered many, much to Orochimaru’s delight. However, every foe she had pummeled before had already been waiting for her on the battlefield of the serpent’s choosing before she arrived.

Something here was different, and she was beginning to feel scared.

His expression turned devilish. He pulled one arm free from where they were crossed at his chest and raised his hand, two fingers curling in the air in a come-hither motion.

The air around them shifted, and it was getting harder to breathe. Whether it was because of the atmosphere or because of the fear slithering through her belly, she couldn't quite tell.

Apprehensively, she turned her head to the left as a figure slinked its way from behind a large tree, and for the first time in recent memory, Tsumoi felt like she was going to die.

"... _Sasuke_?"

For all her better judgement, Tsumoi was ready to book it.

Orochimaru wanted her to fight _Sasuke_?! That was a death sentence. _Nobody_ beat Sasuke.

He was Orochimaru's most prized possession, the master cog in his plan to achieve absolute power over the shinobi nations. He was also unbelievably skilled, to the extent that his abilities were almost inhuman. But what else was there to be expected? He was an Uchiha, after all. And he was certainly a man worthy of his namesake.

She wondered why on earth Orochimaru would pit her against someone as unthinkable an opponent as Sasuke Uchiha. Surely, he knew that this was a fight she couldn't possibly win.

Kabuto’s expression shifted into a lazy smile.

_Maybe that was the point._

"Sasuke. I see you decided to show up."

The shadow of the trees extended far into the clearing, courtesy of the evening sun, and he took his time closing the gap between them. His sharingan glowed in the darkness, growing brighter with every stride he took. 

_It'll be the end of me if I look into those eyes in battle. I have to avoid looking at them at all costs._

Her eyes shot to the ground where he walked. Without thinking, she took a generous and hurried step back, trying frantically to maintain their distance. He must've sensed this, for he stopped several yards from her. He had emerged far enough away from the treeline to be caught in what little sunlight remained.

Perfectly symmetrical features, sharp jaw...there was little doubt that others found him to be quite attractive. But admittedly, Tsumoi did not believe him to be so. There was something dark about him, something she found very off-putting. He was too eerie for her to consider him to be anything other than frightening.

Quite aware of her reluctance, Orochimaru laughed again. He probably couldn't wait to see her eviscerated by the crown jewel of his collection, the sick fuck.

"Tsumoi, don't be shy. Sasuke isn't known to bite. Although...who knows what he gets up to when he's out of my sight."

Tsumoi thought she was going to throw up.

"Is this my opponent?"

As always, his tone was calculated, arrogant. She didn't like it. 

The wind kicked up, sending goosebumps trailing over her arms.

"Hm. He doesn't look like much."

A bit of her fear prickled into bitterness at the implication of her weakness, but being mistaken for the opposite sex was definitely more insulting to her. It hadn't occurred to her until just now how boyish she must present. The shaved head definitely didn't help.

Kabuto's laughter sounded from behind her.

" _She_. But it's an easy mistake to make."

Sasuke's eyebrow quirked a fraction.

"Hm."

A pang of subdued familiarity crossed his mind, but he couldn’t place where he had seen her before.

Slowly, his back-lit form morphed fluidly into a practiced fighting stance.

"...either way, this will be over quickly. I have other things to do."

Her gaze was fixed safely on his feet, but she didn't need to see his face to know that he was annoyed. His words were ripe with irritation. Just listening to him speak confirmed how he was currently feeling: terribly inconvenienced.

Orochimaru's sinister voice slithered out into the clearing to trail after Sasuke's.

"Now, now, Sasuke. Behave yourself."

She turned to look at her serpentine tormentor. As always, his eyes fell squarely upon the young Uchiha.

"Here are the conditions: the two of you will fight until one of you forfeits, or is unable to continue."

He smirked.

"And do try to keep it civil. We wouldn't want things getting too out of hand."

Briefly, Kabuto's empty onyx eyes caught hers from behind his spectacles, shifting back to Sasuke before tossing in his two cents.

"And be sure not to make a mess of her like you did the last few. She represents a significant investment of both time and resources."

He glowered.

"I'm also very tired. It's been a long day, and I'd rather not spend what's left of it cleaning up after you."

Her head whipped back to her opponent's sandals where the grass swayed around them. They may not have been engaged in battle yet, but she wasn't taking any chances. A shiver wracked her body and she swallowed down the foul tang of bile and terror. 

So, she really was going to die after all. 

_No way. I've come too far to fall here._

Her expression hardened.

_I will most likely lose this fight, and I can accept that._

_But no matter what happens..._

_...I have to_ _live._

Meanwhile, Sasuke didn't move a muscle. He was thoroughly unperturbed, and most likely, a bit bored. The odds certainly weren't in her favor; she just wasn't as strong as he was.

They both knew that he was going to win.

"Tsumoi."

Kabuto's voice snatched her out of her contemplation. She turned.

"I have a feeling you might need this."

She fumbled for the single kunai he tossed at her as it whistled toward her face.

_Gee, thanks._

The sound of Orochimaru's voice sealed her fate.

"Begin."

She blinked, and then those glowing eyes were nowhere to be found.

A rush of air behind her had her bending forward so quickly that something in her spine popped. Sasuke's kick barely missed her, his leg sailing over her head in a flash of movement.

She fell forward into a roll and emerged standing, pivoting in the opposite direction. As soon as she turned, he vanished again. This time, the sharp breeze came from the right side, and she shifted her head as far away as time would allow in order to miss his fist. 

He moved too quickly to process. By the time her brain understood where he was, he was gone again.

_Damn it. This is bad. He's keeping me on the defensive._

She scanned the surrounding area, desperately trying to catch sight of him before he could deliver a blow she wouldn't be able to dodge.

_If I can just respond fast enough the next time he comes at me, I can-_

But then, an odd noise from somewhere she couldn't discern made her freeze.

_...birds?_

Suddenly, she was cast in shadow. The warm, orange glow of the sun was replaced by the piercing blue of chakra ripping through the air above her. He descended upon her, hand bursting with chidori and ready to jab her into oblivion.

There was nothing she could do. He was just too fast. Reflexively, her arms came up in an X above her head as she snapped her eyes shut.

* * *

"We surveilled the exterior of the compound for several days, and this is the behavior we observed. It will take you approximately five days to arrive there if you set out now."

Zetsu had just finished updating Itachi and Kisame with pertinent details regarding their assignment. They had known from previous intel that Orochimaru had returned to his underground base in Grass about two weeks prior, so that was the direction they had been traveling in. They had been on the run for a day when their surroundings had finally transitioned from sand to forest, and they stopped for a bit in a cluster of tall trees. That was when Zetsu had materialized from beneath them to provide them with additional information.

Now, not only were they keen on the precise location of the hideout, they were up to speed on all of the security measures the serpent had taken as well. How many guards were posted and where, when they were relieved, by whom and when. 

"As far as the girl is concerned, it's been a few years since the photo Pein provided to you was taken. Feel free to use it for reference, but we're sure she looks a bit different now with age. To confirm she is the target, check the outside of her right bicep. She has a V-shaped scar there that is approximately two inches long. _We didn't catch sight of her while we were there; however, we did sense her chakra. She is definitely present somewhere inside._ "

Itachi blinked.

"Very well then."

Zetsu started to recede back into the ground he protruded from when he paused.

"I forgot to mention; Sasuke is there."

There was a long bout of silence.

"I see."

Kisame glanced at his partner, searching for any speck of emotion that may be present on his face. There was nothing to be found.

"Itachi, what will you do?"

His eyes closed.

"It cannot be helped. We will carry out our mission and retrieve the target as planned."

Zetsu hummed.

"Best of luck, you two."

Just as the ground had enveloped his chin, his darker half piped up.

_"You'll need it."_

* * *

Tsumoi prepared for the worst. She wasn't ready for things to end this way, but she had resigned herself to her fate. She exhaled, and waited to taste the defeat that was surely inevitable.

It was then that the feeling of ground beneath her feet disappeared and she was sailing through the air with the wind at her back. She opened her eyes just in time to land on her feet.

_What the hell?!_

She hadn't moved a muscle.

_Wait._

Her face grew dark and she grit her teeth.

_Orochimaru._

He had moved her out of the way. She wouldn't lie, she was grateful. But the feeling was wholly encompassed by the rage she felt at being controlled like some kind of marionette.

Without warning, she was sent running, arms behind her back as she sailed forward. She darted ahead in a zigzag and shot into the air in a series of motions that were completely out of her control. Sasuke was in her line of sight, and she was moved into a position to mimic his earlier movements. She tried desperately to focus, to resist Orochimaru's will and regain her own. In spite of her efforts, she was suddenly careening downward at breakneck speed, fist poised to slam down onto his head.

It hit her then: the pain. Her head immediately felt like it was going to split open. Her eyes clamped shut and she roared. At the sound, Sasuke's brow fell to shade his eyes. Her abrupt vocalization had been misconstrued as a display of aggression, and he didn't take kindly to it. 

A solid blade of bright blue chakra shot from Sasuke's hand, illuminating her field of vision and striking straight through her left shoulder. She was unable to dodge, for gravity made it impossible for her to change her trajectory as she was falling. She wailed as she was impaled and held in midair, dangling like a butchered pig on a hook. The single kunai she had been bestowed clanked to the ground. As quickly as it had manifested, the stream retracted back into him, and she fell into a lump on the dirt below.

Her breathing was labored, and she turned her head slowly to chance a look at Orochimaru. As soon as she caught sight of his face past the hand sign he held to control her, she wished she hadn't.

His visage was a darkened mask of frustration and disappointment, serpentine mouth down-turned. She was falling much too short of his expectations, and she knew that he would soon have no use for her any longer. The entirety of her survival was riding on this fight, and she was failing miserably. His golden eyes narrowed as he forced more effort into his hand sign and she heard his voice snarl inside of her.

_Get up, you wretched girl._

She yelped as her body pushed itself up from the ground much too quickly to accommodate the agony she was in. The sheer heat of Sasuke’s jutsu had partially cauterized the wound it had inflicted, but the warm blood that found its way out of the hole in her back was dyeing the ivory fabric of her shirt a deep carmine. There was a war of wills waging inside of her, and she fought to maintain control over herself.

_Move!_

Her shoulder hurt terribly. Her voice pushed though her gritted teeth.

" _No_."

As soon as the word left her mouth, the pain struck the space between her temples and she heard Orochimaru's voice again.

_The seal I placed on the device inside of you responds to my chakra, and in turn, my will. Every time you resist, the pain will grow more intense._

The burning sensation distracted her from sensing Sasuke's proximity to her, and this time, his fist connected with her face. Hard.

She reeled, head snapping in a sharp 180 and recoiling back to its point of origin. She collapsed onto her knees, weight shifting forward onto the palms of her hands and she cried out again. The strike to her eye paled in comparison to the fire in her brain.

For the first time since their meeting only minutes prior, Sasuke spoke.

"What did you say?"

She moved to get up again.

"I said... _no_."

A sandal to the ribs thwarted her efforts, and she found herself flat on her back, wind knocked out of her. Slowly, she rolled over until she was on her belly, mouthing the dirt. Her hands fisted into it, eyes closed and breath short as she wheezed through the budding discomfort in her side. The throbbing in her head and shoulder was subsiding, but had migrated to claw at the space around her right eye from Sasuke's previous hit. It radiated through the side of her face, and she posited that he must’ve infused the blow with chakra, for it covered more surface area than it should have. Even her lip was involved.

He came to stand next to her, looking down upon her with those crimson eyes. He called out to his teacher.

"Orochimaru. This fight is over."

The snake strode over to join him, Kabuto never too far behind. He had since dropped the hand sign.

He hummed in solemn agreement.

"Yes...she's finished. How disappointing."

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Kabuto took the opportunity to make his own displeasure known.

"All the hours I spent making sure everything was in order...what a waste. And her powers seemed so promising, too."

Orochimaru sighed, and she presumed that the measured footfalls she heard departing from where she lay were his.

The sound grew fainter, grass flattening under each of his steps, and then stopped. 

His voice was dark.

"Sasuke."

There was a pause that a whooshing gust of wind filled.

" _You know what to do_."

Tsumoi's eyes shot open, every muscle in her body rigid. The fine hairs on her arms stood at attention.

_No..._

The footsteps resumed. There were two sets of them now, and she knew Kabuto was leaving as well. He called back to them.

"And remember what I said earlier. Do it quickly and _cleanly_."

She heard the slide of metal when Sasuke pulled the Kusanagi blade from its sheath. Her blown gaze was fixed on his long silhouette that stretched over the ground across from her. Racing heart plummeting, she watched the sword raise high above his head in the last blaze of the evening sun.

The throng of discomfort inside her head transitioned into a relentless buzzing. Electricity crackled by her temples and her brain felt like it was melting. But there was no pain; there was only a will to survive.

_I am NOT going to die._

" _Keep the fuck away from me!_ "

Instantly, everything she saw was a blinding white. The atmosphere around her was electrified, an earth-shattering and pulsating eruption resonating from her like a transformer being struck by lightning. Existing in a trance, she was vaguely aware of ringing in her ears. On the edge of her blurred vision, she glimpsed a form as it shot away from her; black and white, with a strip of violet placed somewhere in between. She heard a desperate, fuzzy shout reverberate from somewhere in the distance, almost as if they were afloat in the same ocean as she, but miles apart.

_"Sasuke!"_

It would be her last memory before she departed from alertness. She exhaled, eyes falling closed, and slipped from semi-consciousness and into the black ether of nothingness.

* * *

The swollen full moon provided a generous amount of light to the pair of Akatsuki as they darted through the lush canopy of the forest, and for that, they were grateful. Had it been a moonless night, they very well may have fallen right onto their asses when the forest they had been careening though abruptly came to a stop.

Just prior to arriving in the area, they noticed they began to run out of branches to launch themselves from. It appeared as if they had been blown away by some undetermined force. Their trek ground to a halt when they hit a graveyard of trees that had been completely destroyed.

Jumping down from the branches to the recently disturbed earth below, the two regarded their surroundings with tempered puzzlement. The further into the recently created clearing they ventured, the more extensive the damage to the landscape became. The trees further in had been completely obliterated, charred down to nothing but black splintered shards and ashes.

Kisame picked up a chunk of singed limb.

"Looks like a bomb went off around here."

Itachi concurred.

"Hm."

It was a curious anomaly, this swath of scorched earth in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't fathom precisely what had inflicted this kind of destruction; he only knew that it had to have been something big. Without any more to go on than what he could see in front of him, he was left to wonder.

"We're within range of the hideout now. We'll make the remainder of the journey on the ground."

Tossing the charred toothpick of wood into the night air, Kisame gave him a curt nod. In a blur of motion, they resumed their clandestine expedition. After effortlessly infiltrating the borders of the serpent's territory, they picked off a dozen guards before proceeding into the mouth of the compound.

Kisame laughed.

“Looks like Zetsu was right. The security is lax these days.”

The pair sailed down the hallway to begin searching the left wing of the hideout. Her chakra signature was indeed present, but it was too faint to pinpoint her precise location.

However, they were getting very close.

* * *

Something was beeping. Tsumoi couldn't determine where it was coming from. The beeps were set in a steady rhythm, high pitched, occurring once every two seconds. 

She could hear her own breathing. Steady, through her nose. In, and out. It seemed so loud to her.

Shortly thereafter, her senses reacclimated enough to identify the ambient hum of her surroundings, punctuated by the distant echo of dripping water.

That was that sound that ushered her back to alertness. There was only one place she ever heard the dripping. It confirmed her suspicions that she was back inside the base. 

Specifically, she was back in the operating theatre.

Hazily, her eyes parted and the blurry edges of the floor tiles came into view. Again, she was strapped face-down onto the table.

_Damn it._

She groaned.

"Oh, you're awake."

It was Kabuto.

"What time is it?"

There was silence as he glanced at the digital display of the clock on the counter.

"3:19 A.M."

_Okay, but..._

”What day is it?”

Kabuto laughed.

”Thursday.”

_You’ve gotta be kidding._

”I was unconscious for _five days?”_

“Mm-hmm. That burst of energy you released resulted in damage to some of your internal cells and tissues. It burned you from the inside out. I was under the impression that your unique chakra would insulate you from the current, and normally, it would have. But this time, you produced such an enormous and concentrated amount of power in such a short period of time that your body couldn’t handle it. Your system was overloaded, and could neither utilize nor dispel the energy before it harmed you. It seems that imminent death is quite a motivator for you.”

_Isn’t it for most people?_

“The device appears to be amplifying your abilities quite nicely. The readouts we’re getting from the EEG are astounding, really. However, the damage was admittedly unprecedented. Lord Orochimaru and myself agreed that sedating you and allowing your body to regenerate would be the best option. I supplemented the bulk of your recovery with an IV drip of an experimental serum I’ve been working on. I’ll be documenting my findings as you progress.”

Fantastic. All she needed was to be infused with even more of his weird concoctions.

Many a night she had lost sleep due to the side effects of the mystery cocktails he regularly infused her with. It was not unusual for her to be hit with low-grade fevers and bouts of vomiting so intense that her eyes were bloodshot by morning.

A subdued but frustrated sound left her.

”It scares me, knowing you pump me full of serums and elixirs that you don’t even know the consequences of. What if something you administer to me ends up killing me?”

She heard him sit something down. Most likely a glass beaker, judging by the sound of it.

”Surely, it would be an unfortunate loss. You’re the only one around who possesses your unique abilities.”

His tone was darker this time.

“But you’re a lab rat. It’s what you’re here to do.”

The reminder stung.

She swallowed thickly. Her tongue felt strange in her mouth.

"...what exactly happened?"

Kabuto barked out a laugh.

"You _exploded_."

Her brows knit together in confusion, and immediately, the throbbing sensation in her face returned.

_Oh, right. Sasuke clocked me._

That, she did remember.

"I, uh...but what do you mean by that, sir?"

Tsumoi heard his feet shift, presumably so he could turn toward the direction she was in.

"I mean just what I said. You blew up and destroyed the grounds around you. You took down all the trees within a mile radius of the training ground. And here Lord Orochimaru was worried about _Sasuke_ making a mess."

She blinked.

_I didn't mean to._

"Speaking of Sasuke, that shockwave of yours sent him flying. He was lucky he reacted quickly enough to create a chakra barrier around himself before the impact. It would’ve killed him if he hadn’t.”

_Shockwave?_

”You almost did Lord Orochimaru and myself in as well. Luckily, the worst of the wave passed over us. But if we hadn’t hit the ground when we did, well...you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Tsumoi couldn’t believe what she was hearing. There she had been, laying in the dirt a millimeter from death, and in an instant, she had damn near eradicated _every one_ of them. The worst part was that she barely remembered it. The fleeting notion that she would’ve enjoyed seeing the terror on their faces flashed through her mind. But just as quickly, the sensation of satisfaction devolved into bitterness, and she lamented the fact that they had survived.

"To say Sasuke isn’t handling this well would be an understatement. You dealt him quite a blow. Even managed to mess his face up a little."

_Good. Then we're even._

"He's pretty upset." 

She could hear the smirk in his voice.

" _He's_ upset? _He_ tried to kill _me_."

Kabuto hummed.

"True. But only because Lord Orochimaru ordered him to."

The room grew quiet again.

Orochimaru was a dangerous man. She knew better than to trust him. However, part of her was almost hurt that he'd let her be killed so easily.

Kabuto must have sensed the shift in her.

"Now, now, don't go sulking. You and I both know that he had to do it. You never would've unleashed your strength if Lord Orochimaru hadn't pushed you to your absolute limit."

She sighed through her nose. He was right.

"He had to make you believe that you were on the brink of death for you to strike."

She could see Kabuto's feet in her peripheral.

"You really are too hesitant for your own good. But don't worry; now that he has seen your true potential, Lord Orochimaru plans to train you much more frequently now. I'm sure he'll break you of that."

_Lovely._

He began to unbuckle the thick straps around her ankles. She stretched them as the bonds fell away.

"Must you still restrain me? You know I'm not going to run."

He moved to the front of her and began undoing the buckle on her left wrist.

"The restraints are for your own safety."

She knew it was bullshit, but that was all he had to say about it. 

The remaining strap around her left wrist was undone, and he maneuvered her to sit up as she rubbed the area where the cuff had been secured around her arm. The cold of the metal slab chilled her legs through her trousers, and she shook.

She noticed her clothes were different. A gray t-shirt and black, loose-fitting cotton sweats had replaced her blood-stained garments. 

Tsumoi felt momentarily disgusted. Kabuto was, for lack of a better term, a physician. She knew he viewed her with a clinical indifference, but it unsettled her how much of her had been exposed to him.

At this point, was there any place on her body that his four eyes hadn't seen?

She grimaced when he took her face in his hands and turned it to examine where she had been struck.

"That was some hit you took. It's a wonder that you remained conscious."

Her gaze fell over his shoulder to give her something less annoying than his face to look at.

"Speaking of which, the whole right side of your face is swollen. To be honest, you're barely recognizable."

_Oh, great._

He moved away from her to pick up a steel, kidney-shaped, and particularly shiny surgical dish and handed it to her.

"See for yourself."

He wasn't lying. It looked like someone had glued a plum to her face and cut a slit in it to accommodate her eye. Her eyebrow was tender and protruded further than it naturally should have, and her cheek was twice as large as the one opposite of it. Her split lip was crusted with blood.

It hadn't occurred to her how much damage had been done. Judging by how much force he had put behind the blow, Sasuke must've expected her to dodge. After all, nobody really expects their opponent to just stand there and be hit. Then again, there was always the possibility that he was just an asshole. 

She was inclined to believe the latter.

Tsumoi sighed, closing her eyes.

"How long do you think it will take for the swelling to go down?"

She heard Kabuto flip a switch on a machine, then the clinking of a set of glass test tubes as he moved to the counter top on the left side of the room.

"Why? Are you afraid the boys won't think you're pretty anymore?"

His tone was an odd combination of snide indifference.

_Really?_

His back was turned to her as he poured something into a beaker in front of him, so she took the opportunity to roll her eyes.

"No, sir. My face hurts, and the swelling is making it difficult to see. I can hardly open my eye."

He looked over his shoulder.

"Hm...I'm feeling magnanimous. Perhaps, if I have time later, I can bring you an ice pack."

_Dick. We both know you could do much more to help if you wanted to._

"...thank you. I would appreciate that."

She blinked slowly as to prevent any more pain in her eye.

"Why am I back here, if you don't mind my asking? In this room, I mean."

Kabuto yawned, and she recalled the remark he made about being tired just before the fight. She surmised that he still hadn't had a chance to rest enough yet. 

_I guess it’s true that evil never sleeps._

"We opened you up again, but that was some time ago. Rest assured that your wound is closed and dressed. I also took the liberty of suturing and bandaging your shoulder."

_Well, that's something, I guess._

”I was ordered to monitor you periodically until you came to. I have to say, I’m thankful that all of this took place while things have died down a bit around here. My duties have been reduced recently due to a fortunate lull in enemy activity. I couldn’t possibly imagine keeping vigil over you for five days while handling my normal workload. I do a lot around here, you know.”

She thought bitterly that conceiving the new and creative methods of torture she had seen being implemented lately must’ve been very time consuming for him.

"Lord Orochimaru personally oversaw the operation this time. He wanted to make a few...adjustments to the device."

Naturally, this triggered a bout of apprehension.

"...oh."

Turning, he wiped his hands on the ivory sash he wore over his shirt and leaned on the counter behind him.

"Yes. It appears that your will was still too strong for him to control you completely."

Pride budded in her chest at the admission.

"That should no longer be an issue after this procedure."

And just as quickly, she abandoned it.

"He established a code word that will activate your abilities while placing you entirely under his control. So...in the broadest sense of the term, you're somewhat of a sleeper agent now."

She swallowed.

"...what's the word?"

As soon as the question left her mouth, she realized how stupid it was. He arched a silver brow.

"Now, why would I tell you that?"

She breathed out a sheepish laugh.

"Right...sorry."

She considered the implications of this new information.

"This code word...if you were to say it, would it 'activate' my power?"

He cocked his head lazily. He was getting tired of the questions.

"No. It's designed to work exclusively on Lord Orochimaru's command."

_Well, fuck._ _The creepy bastard has me right under his thumb now, then._

"I see."

Kabuto looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"However, Lord Orochimaru had to create a new jutsu specifically to make this device work. It's a variation of a forbidden jutsu, one that had been sealed away for quite some time. He's the only one who knows how to perform it."

Silence fell over them both. She stared at him, but said nothing, hoping he would give up more information about the secrets surrounding the jutsu. If she could get an idea of how it worked, then she could find a way to foil it.

Her patience paid off, and he continued. He must've been very tired to let all of this slip.

_Just keep yammering, four eyes._

"But, if someone else were to learn the jutsu, then-"

There was a clamour in the dank hallway outside before a loud boom shook the whole compound. The vibrations from the ground worked their way up into the table she sat on, and pieces of caked mud and brick crumbled from the wall.

" _Shit!_ "

She had never heard Kabuto swear.

Something was wrong.

_So much for ‘a lull in enemy activity.’_

He took off out of the theatre, door banging against the wall where he had flung it open, and sprinted down the the corridor in the direction of Orochimaru’s domain.

Tsumoi moved to get off the table, stopping short when a sharp pain shot through the hole Sasuke had put in her shoulder. She took a breath, sliding herself off slowly with her good arm. 

She crossed the floor quickly to have a look out into the hallway in the direction Kabuto had traveled down, but she froze when another boom shattered the wall immediately next to her, knocking her off balance. A cloud of smoke and debris obscured the doorway. She backed into the room and darted to the wall furthest from the door.

She took refuge in a small alcove between the back wall and the edge of a supply cabinet that had been pushed into the furthest corner of the room.

She caught wind of an exchange between two voices she had never heard before.

The first was quite gruff and impatient.

"Where are you running to, you bespectacled brat? Get back here!"

The second was its counter, calm and levelheaded.

"Kisame, leave him. He has nothing to do with our current objective."

There was a scoff from the one called Kisame, but he obliged.

"He doesn't know how lucky he is."

Two echoing sets of sandals tapped at a moderate pace along the stone tiles just outside the room, growing closer by the second.

Tsumoi's fear-stricken form slid down the wall behind the storage cabinet and into a bunched up pile of limbs on the floor.

_They're coming in here..._

"Itachi, we've cleared nearly every inch of this base. What if the chakra signature is just a decoy?"

The other one, Itachi, spoke.

"Zetsu's intel is nothing if not reliable. I am confident that he was being truthful with us. He confirmed that she is present in this location."

The footsteps paused just outside the door.

"We _will_ find her."

Kisame sighed.

"Right."

The dark outline of a rather large person became visible within the smoke in the doorway, followed by a slightly shorter one. 

The imposing stranger set one sandaled foot into the room.

His split the smokescreen in two, and she peered at him from the safe darkness of the corner she had curled herself into.

He was a rather strange looking man. His skin held an odd pallor, a grayish blue and rather unhealthy looking complexion, and her mind couldn't help but drift to the photos of drowning victims that Kabuto had shown her in the past.

Quickly and halfheartedly, he scanned the room with two unusually shaped eyes before his gruff voice sounded from where he stood on top of the threshold.

"This one's empty."

His large form darted from the room to continue in the direction Kabuto had fled in. Tsumoi was relieved, but she also questioned the condition of his eyesight. She wasn't very well hidden. Was he visually impaired, or was he just not making an effort?

The second, remaining silhouette became more pronounced as it entered the room, calling back the other who had just taken off. 

"Kisame...wait."

This man had found her before he had even entered the room.

_So, the big guy is just lazy then. Got it._

The smoke had died down enough for her to make out two glowing red dots wading at eye level through the dust that still hung in the air.

_...sharingan?! But...that isn't Sasuke..._

Tsumoi was frightened out of her mind. 

_What the hell is going on?!_

She threw her hands over her head and huddled into herself.

She heard the flurry of rapid footfalls shift directions down the hall before returning to stand just outside of where she was hunched over in the corner.

"Why are we stopping? It's empty-"

Silence ensued, but she knew from the way his gravelly voice caught that she had been discovered by him now, too. His tone took on a more sinister quality.

"Well...perhaps, I was mistaken. It seems this room _is_ occupied after all. Can’t believe I didn’t notice at first.” 

His voice was almost accusatory.

”Lack of sleep certainly does impact job performance, doesn’t it?”

Time slowed as the pair crossed the distance that separated them.

Her rapid heartbeat thronged in her ears. Reluctantly, she turned her head enough to peer through the crook of her elbow at the strangers now towering directly over her.

The odd colored one's shark-like face filled with mildly irritated confusion.

"Itachi, we're wasting time. Who is _this_ kid?"

The other, whose face was shaded by inky black hair, said nothing. His red eyes pored through her soul, deconstructing her on a subatomic level. She could hide nothing from him.

_Uchiha..._

"Stand."

It was spoken softly for a command, but she complied. Unfurling herself from where she was balled up on the floor, she rose slowly, revealing the entirety of her mangled face. 

Kisame raised an amused brow.

"My, my...that is one hell of a shiner. Someone must've really had it out for you."

Itachi's crimson gaze bore into her own for a second longer before he sounded the affirmative.

"Target confirmed."

Kisame balked.

"What are you talking about? Itachi, we're supposed to be looking for a _girl_. Not some lanky teenage boy with a shaved head and a busted eye socket."

_This guy..._

Itachi's warm palm encased her right wrist. Startled, she tried yanking it from him. His grip held firm as he reached up with his other hand to push the cuff of her sleeve up the chilled skin of her shoulder. The hand on her wrist turned her arm in toward her chest to reveal the V-shaped scar on the outside of her bicep.

Her ashen eyes narrowed.

_He knows..._

At the sight of the identifying mark, Kisame's face fell.

"No. There's _no way_ that this is the girl in the photo."

Itachi would be the first to admit that the photo they were given was a far cry from the pitiful and swollen creature in front of them, but he was certain.

"It is. Her chakra signature is a match." 

Kisame barked out a skeptical laugh.

"I don't believe this. This kid doesn't look _anything_ like the picture. Hell, he's not even-"

Itachi curtly cut him off.

" _She._ "

Tsumoi's brain was reeling. What a time to be debating her gender.

_That's enough._

"Who are you? What is your business here?"

Her quiet voice scraping its way out of her parched throat dispelled Kisame's one-sided bickering. At the sound of her feminine pitch, his expression morphed into one of silly disbelief.

"Well, I'll be damned. It _is_ a girl."

_It?!_

Itachi looked at her again.

"We are Akatsuki."

_A-Akatsuki? What the hell does that mean?_

She looked at him, confusion evident on her face, a look he returned with one of covert concern.

"Who did that to your face?"

Kisame snorted.

"Never mind that, who did that to her _hair?"_

His offhanded comment and subsequent sniggering went ignored by both. Again, her soft voice pushed up through the tense muscles of her throat.

"Sasuke Uchiha. We fought."

There was a pause, and her gaze shifted laterally to the left as she recalled the battle.

"He won."

Itachi blinked.

"Hm."

_That "hm" thing must be a quirk exclusive to the Uchiha clan. Seems like they all do it._

"You're coming with us."

Tsumoi had so many questions for these men. But she also knew better than to go gallivanting off with two perfect (and perfectly dangerous) strangers. Her stomach churned with worry.

Would they hurt her, too?

"What if I say no?"

In what was clearly a display of intimidation, Kisame slowly stretched an arm behind his back and grasped the hilt of what appeared to be a large sword. 

"You _don't_ want to know."

Point taken. She shifted uncomfortably.

Suddenly, one of Orochimaru's henchmen yelled down the hall not far from where they were.

"This way! They're over here!"

Kisame growled.

"They're awake already?! Itachi, we have to get out of here now!"

They were running out of time.

" _Listen to me_."

Red eyes locked into hers and captivated the entirety of her attention.

"You have made no effort to engage us in battle, or to otherwise refuse us, which is why I haven't yet resorted to using force. I will allow you to decide of your own will to abide by our request and come quietly."

She considered his words.

_My own will..._

"However, if you choose to defy us, or to run from us..."

The tomoe in his crimson irises spun. It was hypnotizing to witness.

"...then I will have no choice."

She swallowed thickly.

"Will you cut me open again?"

Confusion swept through his gaze for a moment, but understanding followed swiftly on its heels. He had seen the dressings on the back of her skull when she was huddled on the ground.

"No."

She believed him.

"Where will we go?"

He blinked.

"That is classified information. But rest assured: after all that you have endured here, any place we take you will surely be better than this one."

She broke eye contact with him, glancing down to the floor; his stare was making her dizzy. Her mind swam with uncertainty and she shook her head in an effort to dispel the feeling. She didn’t know what to do. Her eyes wandered the room like a yearning soul in pursuit of purpose before pausing on the sight of her own reflection in the glass panel of a cabinet door.

The fluorescent flood of light bled across her scar-striped flesh. She stared at herself with defeated grey eyes, taking in the sight of her mangled eye, her shorn scalp, the cruelly defined jut of her scapula through the back of her shirt.

"Am I wrong?"

Tsumoi sighed, weary eyes falling closed.

This red-eyed stranger was absolutely correct. Anywhere was better than here.

The guard was shouting again, this time joined by a chorus of several others. Their gaggle of rushed footfalls grew louder. 

Kisame roared.

"Itachi!"

She knew it was now or never.

"I will do as you ask. Just lead the way."


	2. Bulls On Parade

The guards breached the doorway in a human wave of sweat and heaving chests, weapons of all makes at the ready. One man with a katana and a bloody nose seemed particularly disgruntled.

The pair of Akatsuki stood at the ready a few feet in front of her, partially blocking her view of the incoming horde. "There you are, you mongrels. Thanks for sticking around long enough for us to find you."

"Well, well. Look who's back for more." Pulling Samehada from his his back, Kisame's expression morphed into one of fiendish anticipation.

The man licked a trailing drop of blood from his top lip. "Yeah. Came to pay you back for breaking my nose."

"Pay me back?" Pointed teeth glinted in the fluorescent light of the room. "You should be _thanking_ me. Now, people will be too busy staring at your nose to notice how ugly the _rest_ of your face is."

The man bristled childishly before signaling the group to charge. "Attack!"

Kisame didn't even flinch. "Hope you're ready for me!"

He waited for the precise moment that the boisterous stampede set foot into range and swept the bound blade out in a wide arc. The blow sent the lot of them rocketing into the opposite wall like a strike mowing down a set of bowling pens. Tsumoi probably would've laughed if she hadn't felt so afraid.

"Heh. Maybe this time, you'll _stay_ down."

He quickly repositioned the sabre back into place and turned, curious opalescent eyes boring holes into her. He gripped a handful of her shirt and jerked her forward, sending her stumbling until she came to stand in front of them. 

"Let's get going, kid. There are bound to be more of them on the way here."

Tsumoi was temporarily distraught. "I thought I was supposed to be following you guys."

Kisame looked exasperated. She was pretty sure he was about to yell at her. Coolly, Itachi took hold of the exchange before things became any more tense.

"And you will be, just as soon as we get out of this place. But until then, we'll follow you. You are more familiar with the layout of this compound, and thus, you'll know how to get us out of here faster."

Kisame grinned. She had no idea what was funny.

"So, get a move on, shrimp. We haven't got all night."

Scowling, Tsumoi took off running out the door and down the corridor. If they wanted her to move, then damn it, they had better know how to keep up. Her heels tore into the cool stone of the floor in the direction that Kabuto had taken off in. As soon as she had seen him turn the corner after the explosion, she immediately knew where he was going. 

The back annex of the hideout was comprised of a series of connecting chambers, the furthest back of which was Orochimaru's makeshift "throne room." It was a modest space, comparably smaller than others he could have chosen from. It was always awash in candlelight and undefined incense, walls lined with thick tomes and specimen jars. It was the one place in the hideout that he spent the most time in. Most days, he would hole himself away in there for hours surrounded by ancient scrolls and codices, hoping to unlock the secrets of the human condition.

It also happened that his domain was strategically placed adjacent to the quickest escape route. 

At first, she had felt apprehensive at the thought of traveling this way, but the feeling was dispelled by logic. There was no way that Orochimaru would still be hanging around after learning of the siege, and she surmised that he had taken off with his silver-haired sidekick and the Uchiha prodigy at the first inkling of the impending disturbance. She was confident that they wouldn't be around to pose any trouble; they were long gone. 

Evidently, the blue one wasn't feeling so at ease. "Why are we going this way? We'll just end up running into that snake and his errand boy."

Tsumoi sighed. "Relax. They aren't here anymore. The first plan of action in an event like this one is for Orochimaru to flee before he can be captured or killed. And of course, Kabuto will have gone with him."

For a moment, the only sound in the corridor was the rapid tapping of two pairs of sandals echoing off the walls. They were complemented by the hushed, fleshy drumming of Tsumoi's bare soles against the ground.

"And what of Sasuke?"

It wasn't a question she expected; she didn't know that this new Uchiha was aware that Sasuke had been dwelling here. Although she still didn't know who this man was, it was obvious that the two of them shared some kind of familial bond. Encountering two people with sharingan within a week of one another was not something that could be chocked up to blind serendipity. As such, she didn't hesitate to answer. Part of her felt that he was entitled to know.

"Orochimaru wouldn't leave this place without Sasuke. They always travel together. I'm sure he's with them." 

He said nothing, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

The next four minutes passed by in silence, until they reached the location of Orochimaru's chamber. She took advantage of the opportunity to glance inside. The chair he normally occupied was empty. Some of the tension in her neck subsided.

_Thank goodness._

With haste, they sailed past the study, taking a left before hitting a T intersection. Itachi queried her regarding their next move. 

"Which way?"

Sifting through her memory, she discerned the correct path.

"Right."

Tsumoi took a deep breath. She hadn't passed this way in quite some time. It wasn't long before the shouts and wails of other unfortunate captives occupied their ears, and their pace faltered a bit as they approached the wrought iron fortress that housed all of Orochimaru's playthings.

The pungent stench of rotting meat and fecal matter hit them hard, and Kisame was the first to acknowledge it.

"What is that god-awful smell?"  
  
Tsumoi's expression sank as low as her heart. She was no stranger to this place.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the bullpen."

Itachi's voice was questioning.

"Bullpen?"

She glanced back at him.

"Where test subjects are kept. This used to be where I stayed, too, until...never mind. Let's just keep moving. We'll be where we need to be soon enough."

Having since moved to stay in a different location within the compound, she had forgotten just how intense the sounds and smells were that lingered through the prison. The overstimulation of her senses was making her eyes water.

"The captives here live in squalor and don't receive basic amenities, or proper care. There are also bound to be a few bodies. So...you might want to breathe through your mouth for a bit."

The overwhelming aroma fully engrossed them now as they traversed the chamber, thick, metal bars and stone columns stretching from the floor to the ceiling on all surrounding sides. The prisoners shouted and wailed, pressing their faces against the bars and clawing out between them. Others paced away in their cells, lost in psychosis and searching endlessly for the sanity that had forsaken them after years of confinement.

She scanned the cages for familiar faces. She recognized no one.

They were all gone. Everyone that had been here when she was imprisoned had since been replaced by fresh and unfortunate specimens. Her belly felt hollow knowing what fate had most likely befallen them.

They were about to breach the exit into the throat of the compound when the shouts of another wave of guards clashed with the harrowing cries of the confined. They weren't close enough to present a problem yet, but she knew it wouldn't be long before they caught up.

"Faster!"

Kisame's voice set a fire under her feet, and she threw her legs one in front of the other at a fervent pace. They remained in step right behind her. She caught sight of an anomalous form leaning against a cell door up ahead. The absolute stillness of it had been what caught her eye. Three more strides brought her close enough to realize that it was a body.

A younger man not much older than herself had unceremoniously expired in his cell. Based on the level of decomposition, and the buzzing of flies that resonated from inside him, he had been dead for several weeks. The rigor had frozen him into the position he had assumed as he died: pressed up against the unforgiving metal bars, most likely begging for something or someone, judging by the long gape of his mouth. Even after the rigidity had faded, he remained partially upright, leaning against the cell door.

As soon as she looked in the direction of the unfortunate young man, another prisoner bounded up behind the spot where his remains had come to rest, pushed them out of the way, and began smashing away at the cage door with closed fists. The sloughing, oozing shell of the man fell over, sending a sizable cloud of buzzing flies flurrying up from the corpse's thin, sallow lips and directly into the trio's escape route.

"I take back what I said earlier. Close your mouths!"

They did as they were told, slipping past the putrid cloud of ravenous insects unscathed. The blueish giant continued to cough intermittently as they ran, and she even swore she heard him gag at one point. She was certain that the dreadful olfactory experience was taking its toll on the elder Uchiha as well, but his face remained free of any discomfort.

Several hurried footfalls more, and they breached the thick, atmospheric membrane that separated the fortress from the remaining stretch of labyrinthine halls. In an instant, the flow of open, putrid air was abruptly cut off, like someone had cupped their hands around her ears. The scenery diverted from twisted iron to the muted earth tones of swirling stone and wooden beams, and she knew that they were almost out.

"It'll be another right up here. The exit isn't too much further."

The guards were in sight now, only yards away. Kisame grunted. "I'll take care of this." His large form set into a wide stance, hands clapping together in front of him. "Water Style-"

Itachi cut him off. "No, Kisame. If you unleash a flood of water here, you're liable to drown the captives as well."

He paused. "I'll handle it."

Tsumoi stepped back in trepidation, unsure of what he was about to do. She saw his shoulders raise from behind before he exhaled a controlled breath through his mouth.

"Amaterasu."

A curtain of black flames now sealed the passageway, searing the edges of the stone portal through which they had come. The flames spread generously, licking away at the surrounding stone and disintegrating it into dust.

Black fire that could _destroy stone?_ Tsumoi basked in wonder. "Holy shit..."

Kisame snickered. "I recall saying something similar the first time I saw it."

Momentarily, she pondered what would happen if it were to come in contact with human flesh, what nature of injury it would inflict upon the body. As if he had read her thoughts, one particularly foolish guard ran up and thrust both arms right through it, fully intending to run them through with the spear he wielded.

His screams were other-wordly as the inky inferno engulfed him, eating away at his limbs before trailing its way to his torso. The pack of thugs he commanded stalled behind him, looking on in horror as their comrade burned to death in a pitch black blaze in front of them.

When Itachi turned back to them, his face was twisted up into what Tsumoi surmised was a look of pain. It was difficult to discern; when it came to him, most of what was evident on his face was so subdued that only he truly knew what he was feeling. When he hung his head, palm clutching his eye, her suspicions were confirmed. He stood there for a moment, letting the worst of the scorching sensation pulse through his orbital cavity before pulling his hand away.

There was blood on it.

Tsumoi's voice sounded a touch more concerned than she would've liked. "Are you okay? Your eye-" 

"It's all right. Where to next?" His dry tone was hardly reassuring. 

Tsumoi was quiet as she assessed their surroundings. If they had just exited the bullpen, then-

"This way. About ten minutes further down this hall."

The remainder of their trek was spent in silence with nothing to be heard but labored breathing and the rushed footfalls of six unrelenting feet. The smell of warm, night air flowing in from outside was unmistakable now.

"One more left turn up ahead and we're out."

And just as she had specified, they turned one more corner and saw the blue light of the moon lapping at the stone patterns of the floor.

 _There it is._ They were ten feet from the exit.

"Good. Once we're out, we'll head west toward-"

It was then that an ill-defined black form flickered into existence just at the base of the stairs ascending up to salvation. The two Akatsuki stopped on a dime. Tsumoi's unpracticed feet, however, couldn't find the same traction as the soles of their sandals, sending her sliding to a halt a foot in front of them. She jumped back and fell in line. The silhouette rose and transitioned into the outline of a person, two red eyes blazing so fiercely that they could've been made of neon. The realization of what she was looking at sent Tsumoi's skin crawling.

It was Sasuke, and he was _livid_. The rage seeped from him like some kind of sentient being, permeating the air and thickening it into the atmospheric equivalent of sludge.

Kisame scoffed. "Tch. This brat again."

Sasuke's presence here sent her into a tailspin. She felt her throat tightening. _Does that mean that Orochimaru and Kabuto are still here as well?!_

Itachi's reserved voice wafted through the miasma. "Sasuke."

His spiked hair swayed as it caught in the breeze that radiated around him. The air felt charged, like it was going to combust. 

" _You..._ " The word was spoken like a curse. Sasuke's voice was laced with loathing.

Tsumoi was petrified. She dared a look at his face, regretting it immediately. The terror she felt during their spar blazed through her anew, amplified by the expression of damning conviction that had befallen his features. She saw the abrasions that marred his forehead and left cheek, no doubt the same ones that Kabuto mentioned when she had awoken less than an hour ago. 

She noticed a small black dot that marred his chest, and she suspected it was where a steady stream of current had torn into his body. Tsumoi knew the exit wound would look worse, its location on his body most likely somewhere that she couldn't see. It was a much milder version of the wounds she had inflicted upon adversaries she had killed, and she wondered for a moment if he knew how fortunate he had been. 

Staring at him now, it had only just become apparent to her how different his face looked. He had changed so much since he had come under Orochimaru's wretched wing. The fierce pace her heart had set hammered like a timpani through the caverns of her ears as she recalled an encounter they had shared two years before...

_She trailed the corridors of the compound as she always did: eyes down, quiet as a mouse, walking as closely to the adjacent wall as she could. She was doing everything in her power to keep the hideout's menagerie of occupants from paying her any mind. She knew that everyone and everything in this place would not hesitate to kill her, so she did what she did best: she made herself meek and unseen, too small for a target to even fit on her back. Her arms were full of laundered clothes, pressed and folded to the best of her ability._

_Kabuto had given her directions to the room, and she only hoped that she had written them down correctly. She had done so from memory, and that's what concerned her: Tsumoi couldn't trust her memory. She had been forgetting things; simple tasks she had been asked to complete, conversations she had with others, sizable segments of her past. She suspected that it was a direct result of all of the potions and poisons that Kabuto pumped her full of, among other things._

_Of course, she didn't want him to know that. He had already berated her on countless occasions over orders that her mind had neglected to retain, and her body was still wracked with pain from the punishments he doled her. In light of this, she had made it a point to keep a pen on her person. These days, her hands and arms were always covered in notes, covertly concealed by the long sleeves of the oversized sweater she wore._

_She arrived in front of a heavy wooden door at the tail of a dead-end hallway. It was located (intentionally, she suspected), away from all of the others. She raised a hand and rapped upon it thrice with reluctant, sweater-covered fingers._

_When there was no answer, she sat the stack of laundered articles by the door. She pushed her long hair away from where it fell in front of her eyes when she bent over. Shuffling back the way she came, she pulled up her sleeve, revealing a forearm full of ink-covered skin. Her to-do list was literally an arm long, and there were still quite a few chores that required her attention._

_She was about to turn the corner that would redirect her to the heart of the compound when a male voice called out. It was two parts sleepy and one part scornful._

_"Hey. You." She froze. "Girl."_

_What could he possibly want?_

_She turned, pale skin of her face awash in anxious confusion. In the crack of the doorway stood a raven-haired boy, face blank and dark eyes half-lidded. At this point, Sasuke was barely pushing fourteen years, and he was still two inches shorter than her. Of course, he commanded the space as if he were ten years older and two feet higher._

_Her voice was quiet. "...yes?"_

_He stared at her. "I was sleeping. You woke me."_

_She swallowed. "...I'm sorry."_

_She turned hastily, intent on leaving, when a blur of motion flashed in front of her and blocked her path. She shrunk into herself, eradicating the height difference between them. They were eye level now, but she didn't look at him._

_"Don't do it again."_

_She nodded fervently, eyes slammed shut until she felt his presence recede. The sound of the door slamming shut jolted her body and sent her fleeing down the hall. Her feet pounded the floor until she felt she felt safe enough to stop. The sensation to her legs was cut off by the fright slicing through her, and she folded to the floor, gasping for breath._

_For some time, Tsumoi thought that Orochimaru was the closest to the Devil she would ever come._

_And then, Sasuke had shown up._

_"Ah, Tsumoi." She gasped audibly, her head twisting in the direction the voice had sounded from._

_Kabuto looked down upon her, the round lenses of his glasses refracting the light the candle-lined walls gave off._

_He smirked. "I trust you and Sasuke had a pleasant chat."_

_She stopped bringing him his laundry after that._

Sasuke was a far cry from the child who had arrived years prior. She studied the way the snake Sannin's upbringing of him had defined the adolescent planes of his face and his body into chiseled maturation. 

The boy was _gone_. 

The man who stood before her now was positively menacing. Three long years of intense training and tutelage had sharpened his features into a beautifully dark visage of barely contained and palpable fury.

"Since it seems that you have no intention of letting me pass...Kisame, take the weapon and retreat."

Itachi's smooth voice slinked its way through the smothering cloud of Sasuke's frothing vexation.

Tsumoi's eyes narrowed.

 _Weapon_. Anger pierced her heart at the sound of the word.

"This won't take long." His burning crimson gaze now mirrored Sasuke's as he began to separate the snaps of his cloak from inside it.

There was a pause before the shark man concurred.

"Right." He turned to Tsumoi, only his eyes visible over the tall collar of the cloak. "Time to go, kid. This isn't our fight."

An enormous hand that could've circled her arm twice encased her wrist and yanked her into motion. She could no longer keep track of their movement as he launched them across the space that separated them from the exit. They rocketed past where Sasuke stood, his hair whipping in the rush of air they generated. The tendons in her shoulder screamed as she was dragged behind him, and for a second, she feared he'd tear her whole arm off. Her feet struggled to match his thundering pace, only catching up once they had erupted from the opening in the ground and taken off westward and away from the compound. When he felt that they were far enough away, he released her, trusting her to keep up with him as they took to the trees.

To say that Tsumoi was suffering would be an understatement. This guy was no joke. Her whole body burned from how hard she was pushing herself to maintain his speed.

"What the hell just happened?" Her voice was labored and breathy.

Kisame launched himself off of a tree branch in front of her, and she followed suit, planting her foot where his had been seconds before. 

"There's a bit of _bad blood_ between those two." His baritone voice rolled out perfectly even, not a trace of exertion detectable in his tone. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. "But that's for them to sort out."

She had more questions, but she figured out quickly that she just didn't have the reserves of stamina and solid breath to talk while she darted through the forest canopy.

So, she did the only thing she could think of: she requested a change of pace.

"Can we slow down a bit, please? I can't keep this up for much longer."

Kisame scoffed. "My, but you are a _weak_ one."

Tsumoi was teetering awfully close to her breaking point. " _Please_. I've been imprisoned for _years_. I haven't had the time, the resources, or the nutrition to train properly, and my body has become deconditioned. I _cannot_ keep up with you."

He looked back at her, considering her slight form and heaving chest, the way her eyes pleaded for him to oblige. 

He couldn't deny that she was right.

"All right. We'll rest here for a bit, and continue at a lower intensity."

" _Thank you_." Tsumoi halted, breathless and lurching against a tree. Her eyes fell closed.

He nodded at her, back coming to rest against the bark of the tree adjacent to her. He crossed his arms and waited.

When the fire in her chest subsided and she could breathe a bit more easily, she decided there was no better time than the present to sate her curiosity. She needed answers about these people, and their intentions. She needed to know where things stood, where _she_ stood.

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions...sir?" 

A navy brow rose at her sudden display of politesse, but he shrugged if off. "I've got nothing else to do at the moment. I will warn you, though: what I will answer depends greatly upon what you ask. But go ahead. Shoot."

_I have to choose my questions carefully. I can't ask anything that requires him to reveal any sensitive information. If I do, not only will he refuse to respond, but he may clam up completely._

Tsumoi reconsidered.

_Then again, maybe not. It seems like this guy doesn't know how to shut up._

Still, she presumed that it was better to err on the side of caution, and thus, she decided to grill him about "Akatsuki" later. For now...

"That man...who is he? Why does he look like Sasuke?"

_They've made no effort to disguise their appearances, so he should have no issues answering this one._

Laughter rumbled from deep inside him.

" _That man_ is Itachi Uchiha."

She blinked. "O...kay?"

He regarded her with disbelief. "Gracious, girl, are you completely daft?"

Try as she did to keep her cool, she couldn't stop a small, frustrated sound from slipping out. "Will you please just answer the question?"

Sighing, he pushed away from the tree to stand at his full height. "Didn't you ever hear the one about the shinobi from the Leaf Village who wiped out his entire clan in one night?"  
  
_That's right._ She had heard whispers of the Uchiha clan murders once or twice, particularly around the time that Sasuke had arrived. But over the years, the knowledge had since been buried under endless heaps of other _pertinent_ information, like how long it took a shattered knee to heal before she could walk properly again, or how best to position her pillow over her head at night to drown out the tortured screams of Orochimaru's victims.

"Yeah..?"

He looked her dead in the eye, his eyebrows raised and head shaking to drive his point home. "Do you need me to spell it out for you?" 

_Wait._

She swallowed hard. "You mean...he's th-the one who-"

He cut her off with a pointy, wicked smile.

" _That's right._ He is Sasuke's older brother, the man responsible for the Uchiha Clan massacre."

She felt her empty stomach flopping uncomfortably, partly in horror over the discovery of Itachi's identity, but also out of sheer embarrassment over how long it had taken her to figure it out.

He laughed. "Not too quick on the uptake, are you, kid?"

Tsumoi was scared to death. She took a shaky breath to maintain the fragile remnants of her rapidly crumbling exterior.

_Okay, so we've established that the other one is a murderer. But if that's so, then what kind of company do murderers keep?_

Slowly, she turned, body stiff with tension. She cut her ashen eyes at him, the whites of them overexposed and exacerbated by panic and pointed suspicion.

"If _he's_ the clan murderer...then who are _you_?"

He smiled again, so impossibly wide that it threatened to split the bottom half of his face in two.

"I thought you'd _never_ ask."

His mild tone had shifted into a deep and prideful one, teeming with sinister excitement. Whatever he was about to say, he would surely take pleasure in. 

In an instant, he had closed the distance between them, coming to rest on the same branch as she. Suddenly much too close, he stalked closer to her still. Fearfully, she clutched at the bark of the tree behind her, small splinters breaking off under her nails and puncturing the sensitive bed of skin underneath them. She winced.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'll admit, it's been a while since I've had to."

He mumbled something about a "stupid looking guy in a green jumpsuit" under his breath.

"I am Kisame Hoshigaki, the monster of the Hidden Mist Village, career rogue ninja, and scourge of the shinobi world."

She blinked her wide eyes. _That's certainly a long-winded way of saying 'piece of shit,' but all right._

And then, he _bowed._ "Pleased to be of your acquaintance."

Tsumoi decided quickly that this man wasn't a shark. He was a fucking peacock.

" _Charmed_." Her tone was less than enthused.

"Oh, I'm _sure_." His expression was haughty and condescending, perfectly smackable in every way.

 _Enthralling_ as his introduction had been, Tsumoi was no less perturbed than before, still appalled by the information she had gleaned from the gilled behemoth.

She had no idea why or when the next question slipped out.

"So...how many have _you_ killed?"

His face was still smug, but his tone had since leveled out. "I've lost count."

Tsumoi's head was spinning, and her stomach felt sour.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Her lips were going numb, and her mouth was beginning to water.

He pulled away from her hastily, expression flattening. "Well, make sure you turn _that_ way when you do it. I don't fancy cleaning vomit off of my sandals."

Her eyes clamped shut in an effort to shut out the carousel of movement that her vision had devolved into. She slumped further into the tree, head bowing. She knew what her next question would be.

"What could the two of you possibly need me for?" She looked up at him, dull eyes made hazier by confusion.

"To be quite frank, I'm not yet sure. Our leader wished to acquire you and sent us to do so."

His gaze was stern.

"He referred to you as a weapon." He gave her a once over. She turned her head from him, averting her eyes.

_Great. Another group of power-addicted hoodlums looking for their next fix..._

"Although, I'm not sure what he meant by that. Thus far, you certainly haven't proven yourself to be any such thing."

She sighed again. 

"Sorry to disappoint. I'm a little off my game, I know."

He snorted. "A _little?_ "

Slowly, she turned to face him, expression solemn.

"I'm not so sure I feel comfortable going along with you now."

His expression darkened into a threatening one. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet..."

A sizable hand reached behind him to grasp the hilt of Samehada. He leaned in, face inches from her own. She could feel his breath on the tip of her nose.

"...or I may just have to _cut them off_."

Suddenly, she was feeling awfully compliant. "You know, we should really get moving." Her eyes were shot as she pulled her head back as far away from him as she could manage. 

There was that grin again. " _Good girl._ " He relinquished his grip on the sword.

The next thing she saw were the red clouds on the back of his cloak billowing away into the trees in front of her. He didn't show any signs of slowing.

She frowned.

_'Lower intensity.' Right._

Kicking away from the branch she was standing on, she rocketed toward his retreating form as their race through the forest resumed. As they sprinted, she found her mind trailing back to the red-eyed killer they had left behind.

"What about your friend?" She tilted her head back in the direction they had fled from.

He barked out a laugh. "Oh, he won't be too long. I'm sure we'll see him again _very_ soon."

Tsumoi shivered.

She didn't _want_ to see him again.

* * *

The brothers faced off, each locked in place within the other's vivid crimson stare. Itachi's voice tangled in the blood-lust that filled the air within the corridor that confined them. His expression was reserved and impartial, betraying none of the irritation that he felt.

_Foolish little brother. Even after all of these years apart, you are still quite troublesome._

"Since you are so dead set upon inconveniencing me, I suppose I have no choice but to engage you. However, understand that I will finish this quickly. I have other matters to attend to."

Sasuke glowered at his older brother, incensed beyond all point of return.

" _Forget_ it! I don't _care_ how long it takes! This battle _will not_ end until you lie _dead at my feet!_ "

Itachi returned the look with narrowed eyes.

"I have no interest in such a battle. I have a mission to complete."

The younger Uchiha's mind flashed back to the moment Kisame had escaped with the girl in tow.

_"Kisame, take the weapon and retreat. This won't take long."_

He growled.

_Always so focused on the mission. Even now._

Sasuke tilted his head down aggressively, bangs coming to shade his face.

"Mission, or no mission..."

His voice was low, seething, and absolutely certain of one thing:

"Itachi... _you_ _will not leave this place alive._ "

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, it had become begrudgingly apparent that this fight was going nowhere fast. There was nothing to be gained by prolonging such a fruitless exchange, only precious energy to be lost. In an effort to conserve his strength, he had forgone chakra-infused attacks in favor of well-timed blocks and sidesteps punctuated by intermittent bouts of taijutsu. This strategy had sufficed for the better part of ten minutes, right up until Sasuke had leveled him with a fireball that he had barely had the stamina to avoid.

At present, he was rushing forward to close the distance between Sasuke and himself when his form suddenly flashed in front of him, a blazing orb of chidori ripe to strike within his palm.

_Chidori again, huh? I've already dodged it twice now._

Redundant as it was, it was a testament to the ferocity of Sasuke's resolve. Chidori was an execution jutsu, and he was striking to kill.

But now was not the time. There were still loose ends to be tied, traps to be laid, and lines to be drawn.

_Not yet, Sasuke. Hold on a bit longer for me._

Itachi caught his arm before he struck him, the velocity pushing his own feet back through the dirt. The confines of the compound had proven much too tedious to spar in, and thus, they had shifted their battle into a sprawling field outside. The blinding ball of energy undulated, jolts of light strobing wildly across the visible portion of his placid face. Sasuke quickly sharpened it into a chidori blade and sent it racing toward the space between his brother's empty, red eyes. Itachi tilted his head sharply to the left as the bright blue lance of chakra zipped past his head, singeing off a few strands of his hair. He could feel the heat coming off of it.

Eyes narrowed, Itachi decided that he was through dawdling; he needed to end this.

Nails digging into the flesh of his younger brother's forearm, he spun him quickly, using the momentum to throw Sasuke across the grassy field. He sailed backward before slamming into a tall boulder, stone crushing concave to mimic the contours of his form as he struck it. As the jutsu he held fizzled out from the impact, Itachi flashed into his view, hand darting out to grip his throat in an instant.

"The chidori is quite a formidable technique, even more so when infused with a change in chakra form. I'm impressed."

His voice was low and even.

"However, I'm afraid you've become something of a one-trick pony, Sasuke. A true shinobi utilizes a bit more variety in his techniques."

Sasuke snarled.

"Shut up!"

His voice was thick from the pressure against his trachea. The Kusanagi blade had long since been lost to him after a failed attempt to run his elder brother through in the heat of battle, jutting up out of the ground several yards away. Most of his other jutsu were mid- to long-range attacks. In this close of range to his opponent, it was difficult to deal a fatal blow, and he was running out of options. One hand came up to grip Itachi's wrist, the other striking out in a furious punch, raw emotion made tangible.

It was at that precise moment that a deep spasm of agony tore at the hollow of Itachi's chest. A hacking cough was boiling up inside him, hellbent on wracking against the tender confines of his rib cage. In his effort to suppress the convulsions threatening to rattle to the surface, he faltered. The momentary lapse let slip an opening, which Sasuke promptly took advantage of. His fist was a flash of alabaster moving too fast to see, and his knuckles struck true, connecting with his jaw.

Itachi reeled and he grunted, eyes glazed. For a moment, his entire vessel seemed hollow, as if his brain was performing a hard reset somewhere within. His head bowed forward, bangs coming to shade his face, as his hand shot up to snatch his younger brother's nestled fingers into his own.

Ball of his fist resting firmly in his grasp, he shoved Sasuke's arm backward until the point of his elbow smashed into a protrusion of stone jutting from the boulder behind him. The rock struck his ulnar nerve with precision, and Sasuke yelped as warring waves of numbness and excruciating discomfort radiated down his forearm and into the tips of his fingers. His arm fell uselessly to his side as Itachi's newly free hand moved to his chest. It seemed that Tsumoi hadn't been the only one among them to take notice of the injury there. Carmine gaze never breaking its connection with his younger brother's, Itachi pushed his thumb into the wound that Tsumoi had burned into his sibling's chest. The adolescent Uchiha roared, recoiling from the pain.

Moving in closer, Itachi studied the strong planes of Sasuke's face that time and maturity had carved. He had grown up _so much_.

"Foolish little brother. _Years_ have passed, and yet...you are _still too weak_.

Sasuke seethed, screaming directly into his elder brother's face. He was so enraged that he felt his sanity slipping. He hated how Itachi could dismantle his attacks so easily, hated how he had trained himself senseless into the textbook example of a killing machine only to be thrust up and threatened against a rock by the monster he had sworn to annihilate. However, what he hated most at this moment was the cold, creeping fear that gnawed at the walls of his stomach. Although he would never admit it, a sliver of him was scared to death at his older brother's current proximity to him.

Battle-hardened ruby eyes drilled into Sasuke's less refined gaze, darting between both of them with great scrutiny, as if to appraise them.

"Not quite yet.

Sasuke's brows stitched, pulling his face into a twisted expression of crazed confusion.

Itachi blinked. "Your eyes...they still aren't fit for harvesting."

Said eyes widened.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

Itachi's deadset gaze was unwavering.

"All in due time, Sasuke. But for now..."

The devilish pools slipped closed, only to reopen with a pinwheel formation spinning anew within them./p>

"...we are finished here."

_Mangekyo Sharingan..._

* * *

Kisame hesitated as the sole of his shoe knocked against the branch just ahead of her. She had been watching his body for some time, observing the idiosyncratic locomotion that comprised his gait and movements, just in case she needed to make use of such knowledge later. With the little information the shark had provided to her, she was still in the dark on what the future held for her if she continued along with them, and thus, she still had not ruled out the possibility of running. This sudden discrepancy in what had been a previously set and steady pace puzzled her. Something was affecting him enough to disrupt his footing.

"What is it?"

Once again, she internally chided herself for how winded her voice sounded. He wasted no time answering her as she launched herself off of the next branch.

"Itachi...it shouldn't be taking him this long."

His tone was difficult to decipher. She couldn't tell whether he was concerned for his partner, or annoyed by the wait. There was a beat of silence before Tsumoi replied.

"...maybe he's losing."

Kisame grunted a laugh, dismissing her comment with ease.

"Not a chance. That man...you cannot begin to fathom his skill."

Skepticism marred the gaunt planes of Tsumoi's face. It was true that she was unaware of this Itachi guy's ability. However, she knew from experience that Sasuke was no pushover, either. Her mangled face was proof enough of that.

"I wouldn't be too sure. Not to discredit your colleague, but...Sasuke is quite fearsome."

In a fluid motion that was almost regal, Kisame turned to peer at her over his shoulder. His opalescent gaze was stern and uncompromising, along with a hint of something that looked suspiciously like offense.

"Trust me on this one, kid. I've seen what he's capable of. There is no way that Itachi is going to let that brat best him."

For a moment, Tsumoi's imagination ran wild with the possibilities that Kisame's unwavering confidence in his partner lent credence to. Dark fragments of fictionalized cruelty at the hands of the reticent Uchiha were projected across the vapors of her mind-scape, and the muscles in her upper arms trembled. These fanciful thoughts were exacerbated by the more concrete notion that he had, in fact, killed his entire family.

_A man WORSE than Sasuke._

She swallowed, the glob of anxiety in the back of her throat quivering uncomfortably.

"So, you're suggesting that Sasuke may very well be dead right now."

Kisame grunted.

"At this point, I think it would be safe to assume that it is more than merely a suggestion. Although, considering how long it is taking for Itachi to rejoin us, that little pest must be putting up one _hell_ of a fight."

Tsumoi was completely overwhelmed by the disquieting information she was being fed, and she was weighing her options.

_If I'm going to run, then it needs to happen soon. In addition to timing, I also must consider how I'm going to evade these two._

Lost in thought, she began chewing the inside of her lip.

 _Itachi...if he's taking down Sasuke, then there's no WAY I'd be able to defend myself against him_.

She regarded the shark in front of her before casting her eyes down to take in her own skeletal frame, acutely aware of the weakness she felt in her legs.

 _In the shape that I’m in, I’m pretty sure I'm useless against this guy, too_.

Dark brows knitted in frustration.

_I could try to somehow create a diversion and take off while their heads are turned, but these guys are no garden-variety fools. They'd probably see right through it. What the fuck am I supposed to do?!_

Tsumoi was catapulted out of her conflicting thoughts by the dark form that smashed into her mid-jump, sending her rocketing into the hard ground.

Kisame pivoted like a top on the branch he landed on, peculiar white orbs flickering about as he scanned for her through the darkness.

"Kid!"

Her ashen eyes rolled back in her head, and she heard him shouting from somewhere above her. She discerned from the impact that it was a body that struck her, for she felt the soft planes of flesh pulled over the organic framework of taut muscle and bone; though whose flesh, she hadn't the slightest. She cast a disoriented glance upward. A pair of round lenses gleaming in the moonlight above a flash of glinting teeth filled in all the blanks.

Bumped askew as a result of the collision, Kabuto righted his glasses, pushing them up the brim of his nose.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

She said nothing.

"Tsumoi..."

He clicked his tongue. His saccharine tone was a caricature of parental discipline.

"A young lady such as yourself stealing away in the wee hours of the night with two strange men? You should know better."

His sentence was punctuated by his head turning in Kisame's direction. He regarded the shark man with a sardonic smile.

"Who knows what kind of _awful_ things could've happened if I hadn't found you..."

The implications of Kabuto's off-color commentary disgusted her. Judging by the affronted frown Kisame donned, he wasn't too happy about it, either.

"Is that so? I'd argue that she is much safer with us than she ever was with you."

Kabuto shrugged off the gravity of his remark.

"Speaking of 'us,' your partner is three miles east of this location. I couldn't stay long, but from the look of things, I'd say that Sasuke is really giving him a run for his money."

Kisame's face erupted into his signature grin.

"So, the Uchiha brat is holding his own against Itachi, eh? Interesting. A bit of a shame, too. I feel like I'm missing out on the action."

Kabuto laughed.

"You won't be for long. I was told by Lord Orochimaru to retrieve the girl by any means necessary. That will be no easy feat, considering that you and your partner laid out the majority of our hired muscle back at the base."

Kabuto's slighted tone was a stark contrast to the shark's satisfied smirk.

"Of course, such conflict can be avoided altogether...if you just give her to me."

Kisame's imposing figure was on the ground in a flash, his towering form functioning as a shield that separated her from her bespectacled tormentor. She appreciated the cover. He had already pulled Samehada from his back, jabbing the tip of it into the dirt below in a defensive display.

"Afraid not. I have strict orders to retain this one, and I'm not letting her go so easily."

Kabuto shrugged.

"Have it your way."

His gloved hands glowed blue as his chakra scalpels were activated. Kisame narrowed his eyes.

_Chakra blades, eh? Just like that scruffy one back in the Leaf._

Kabuto gave Samehada a once-over.

"That's quite an impressive blade you have there. Unfortunately for me, this jutsu was never designed for armed combat."

He raised his hands in front of himself, as if to initiate battle.

"However, I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Rolling his wrist, Kisame flung Samehada up, the tip of the blade now fixed horizontally in front of Kabuto's neck.

"Likewise."

Kabuto breathed a laugh.

"Well then...shall we begin?"

He didn't wait for an invitation. Kabuto lunged forward, ducking beneath the bandaged breadth of the blade and swiped a hand out across the front of his adversary's abdomen. Kisame darted back, nearly stepping on Tsumoi in the process. A slit opened up in the fabric of his cloak as the corner of Kabuto's mouth tipped up in a smile. He swung Samehada out in front of him, the sabre coming within inches of the weapon that Kabuto's hand had become...but he didn't need to land a hit for the strike to be successful. Samehada's scales ruffled, and it rumbled with pleasure as one of the chakra blades disappeared. Startled that his _sword_ had just _growled,_ Tsumoi was left to wonder what the hell had just happened. Kisame's voice shepherded her back to reality.

"Kid, you're in no shape to fight. Hell, you can barely travel. Find yourself some cover. I will retrieve you once I've put this guy out."

Tsumoi gulped.

"Right."

She shot up from the dirt, preparing chakra in her feet to return to the tree canopy. Focus shifting away from his current opponent to his ultimate target, Kabuto moved to stop her, blowing past Kisame in a flash of movement.

"No, you don't!"

As Tsumoi sprang up from the ground, she heard the sound of Kisame's hands clapping together in front of him. Her palm caught the bark of a branch and she used the momentum to kick her legs up, flipping herself around it in a vertical arc, bare feet thumping against it as she came to stand. She had planted herself atop the wooden protrusion just in time for Kisame's voice to rip through the forest.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"

Cheeks full to bursting, he unleashed a thundering ocean from his mouth that swiftly enveloped the entirety of the forest floor. Kisame rose into the air on a pillar of water, the jutsu spreading out in a wide radius. Trees cracked and snapped loudly at the force of the newly formed sea, the flimsiest being uprooted completely. Tsumoi felt the branch beneath her vibrating as the tree was struck by the cascade of wetness, and she pushed chakra into her feet to keep herself from falling. Her frantic gaze flew back to Kisame, perched atop the formation of water, Samehada resting on his shoulder. He called out to Kabuto across the stretch of man-made ocean.

"Ah, that's better. I thought we could use a change of scenery!"

She watched as the flash flood quickly snatched Kabuto's footing from beneath him, sweeping him away. His startled cries were swallowed by the deep as his head slipped under. Kisame guffawed.

"I'm very sorry, but would you mind repeating that? I didn't quite catch it the first time around!"

Tsumoi frowned.

A strange feeling of worry swarmed around inside her gut, and it didn't sit right with her. Kabuto had mistreated her in ways she hadn't even begun to process, but the awareness that she may very well be watching him die right now weighed down her heart like an anvil.

And it pissed her off.

She wouldn't hesitate to admit that Kabuto was the kind of man who needed killing. The countless victims who had succumbed to his torturous ways would no doubt concur. So why, then, did the idea of what may very well be his impending death disturb her so?

Her musings were short-lived when she spotted a log bobbing in the water a few feet from where Kabuto had gone under, concern quickly morphing into panic.

_Wait a minute..._

Immediately, her wide eyes caught sight of one silver-locked shinobi flying out of a tree and hurtling straight at Kisame's back.

_Substitution!_

Tsumoi shrieked.

"Behind you!"

The shark turned in slow motion as Kabuto closed in on him, eyes darkening as a wicked expression overtook his face. His hand was cocked in the air by his head, an azure chakra blade poised to slice right through the tendons in Kisame's right arm. He spun in an instant and brought Samehada in front of him, effectively blocking Kabuto's impending attack.

Tsumoi sighed with relief before catching herself.

_Hang on, just whose side am I supposed to be on here?!_

Kisame flashed the medical ninja a sharp grin.

"My, my. Looks like I blocked that one just in time."

Kabuto returned Kisame's cheeky smile with a knowing one.

"Don't be so sure."

His black eyes slipped down to regard the Akatsuki's cloud-covered robe. Navy brows knitted in perplexity as his own amber gaze trailed to mimic Kabuto's. The medic's previous attack had only been a diversion to distract Kisame from noticing the explosive tag he had slipped onto the lose-fitting fabric of his Akatsuki cloak. The tag sizzled incessantly, ushering in the ensuing explosion. Kabuto quickly put distance between them and summoned chakra to his feet, landing back in the trees with a satisfied smirk. Kisame grit his teeth. It was too late to dodge.

_Damn that brat!_

* * *

A defeated Sasuke lay face-down, left cheek digging into the earth below as caked dirt crusted over the drool-covered corner of his lips. His glazed eyes had returned to their normal shade of black, and his face was entirely void of any semblance of human emotion. Itachi had once again hardened his heart, throwing Sasuke into a hastily-prepared but incredibly detailed hell-scape within the Tsukuyomi, one where he would be forced to repeatedly lose to his older brother in battle for the next 72 hours. The mental anguish of being helplessly beat down and destroyed by Itachi over and over again would surely take its toll on him.

_Sasuke...forgive me._

He crossed the battlefield to retrieve his cloak where it had fallen in a patch of tall grass. He had just stooped to pick it up, when the ever-present twinge of festering discomfort in his chest sprang forth anew, sending him spiraling into a coughing fit. He slumped, hand coming up to cover his mouth as he rode out the spasms tearing their way through his lungs. He took several slow breaths as best as he could manage. When the convulsions had finally subsided and his body stilled, he pulled his hand away, absentmindedly wiping the resulting palm-full of blood on his pant leg. He shifted his cloak back on before reaching into it and collecting a small glass bottle. The tablets inside shook as he untwisted the cap, tipping the lip of the container into his hand and retrieving a single pill before popping it into his mouth.

_No matter how great my suffering grows, I shall endure._

He regarded his brother in silence.

_I will stay alive for you. I promise._

He had just recapped the bottle and placed it back into the folds of his robe when the air in the distance combusted, shattering the repose of the moonlit night. Onyx eyes narrowed when he realized that the commotion had sounded from the direction his partner and the captive had retreated in.

Internally, he sighed.

_Now what?_

Without pause, he briskly took off due west.

* * *

The eruption was deafening, thundering through the forest like a stampede of apocalyptic horses. An enormous cloud of smoke engulfed Kisame's monstrous form, obscuring him completely from her view. The shark's jutsu was dispelled, the sizable body of water he had generated now retracting into the earth.

"Shit! Kisame!"

She moved to leap off the branch when the sinister outline of Kabuto materialized in front of her. The lenses of his glasses flared under the light of the moon, hiding his eyes from her. His hair had come free of its usual confines, most likely when he was struggling under the water. The soaked strands clung to his face, disheveled appearance damn near feral. He stalked toward her, pushing her back against the trunk of the tree.

"That's enough running, Tsumoi."

His tone was deceptively flat. The palm of his hand slammed against the wood beside her head, smashing a dent into the bark, and she gasped. His expression was crazed. He looked like a madman.

"We can't have you leaving just yet, especially not after all the effort I've poured into you."

The lenses of his glasses were covered in water spots as he leaned in, so close that their noses were almost touching.

 _"You..._ are going to do _great things_ for our Lord."

Tsumoi screwed her eyes shut and prepared for the next sensation she felt to be pain, just as it had been the last time he had gotten this close to her. Subconsciously, the muscles in her chest froze up, and she stopped breathing.

What she hadn't counted on was Kisame rocketing out of the cloud of smoke, relatively unscathed, but with a considerable chunk of his cloak missing.

"Haven't you heard? Akatsuki uniforms are employer-provided! Which means that this is coming directly out of my paycheck, you chatty little cretin!"

Her eyes flew open in time to see him ripping through through the distance that separated him from Kabuto, roaring before smashing the full brunt of Samehada into the pit of his stomach. Kabuto's yelp was cut off as the breath was forced out of his lungs, and he was sent careening through the air so quickly that the atmosphere around him whistled. His body eviscerated the thick trunks of two massively ancient trees before the third one terminated his trajectory, slamming against the unyielding bark like a lump of meat hitting concrete. Not a trace of him remained where he once stood, save for the shattered frames of his glasses that had been knocked off of him by the force of the blow.

The bandaged span of Samehada came to rest upon Kisame's shoulder again as he turned to her. A malicious satisfaction clouded the whites of his eyes, a stark contrast from the fearful look she beheld him with.

"Normally, I'm not one to cut a battle short, but this one was getting to be quite bothersome. He talks too much."

Tsumoi's eye twitched.

_Pot, meet kettle._

He vacated the field of her vision in an instant, corporealizing at the foot of the tree that had broken Kabuto's fall before leering over his crumpled form. Trekking down the ladder of branches to join him, her eyes fell upon Kabuto, his body slack and destroyed. One of his legs was contorted unnaturally, no doubt the result of several fractures. The rogue medic's breathing was wet and ragged, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Kabuto struggled to move, a hand creeping up to float above the traumatized flesh that housed his femur. His fingers trembled before they began to emit a soft, green glow above the surely shattered bone. Kisame's gaze darkened.

"I don't think so, boy."

She saw him tilt the tip of the blade toward Kabuto's trunk and hold it there, not understanding his motivation for doing so. He assumed this position for a minute or so before he spoke up again. Kabuto's head rolled to the side, the glowing hand hovering above his leg falling limply against it.

"There. Now, he shouldn't present a problem for us any longer."

Tsumoi's eyebrows raised.

"I'll say. You beat the hell out of him."

Kisame barked a laugh.

"True, but that's not quite what I meant. My blade Samehada devours chakra. For someone Kabuto's size, it could deplete the entirety of his stores to absolute zero in just under two minutes."

_Ah, so that's what happened earlier._

Samehada rumbled, as if acknowledging that it had become the topic of conversation. The shark continued.

"I haven't take enough to kill him-"

Tsumoi looked annoyed.

_Why the hell not?_

"-but I have ensured that he will be immobilized for quite some time."

Kisame snorted arrogantly, rolling a shoulder.

"Little oaf should've known better than to take on someone like me."

They stood like this for several minutes before a smooth, solemn voice broke the silence.

"Kisame, what happened to your cloak?"

Tsumoi's shoulders spasmed at the sound. At some point, the dreaded Uchiha had materialized next to them. She regarded him with wide eyes, having only become aware of his presence when he spoke.

_When the hell did he get here?!_

Said shark's tone was sprinkled with a pinch of mirth as he responded without looking at him.

"Ah, I see you've decided to join us. Took you long enough."

Itachi brandished quite the proper side-eye. Tsumoi noted that his eyes had since slipped back into their routine shade of black.

"Orochimaru's little four-eyed lackey here blew a hole in it. Explosive tag. Probably could've neutralized it, but-"

"Did you kill Sasuke?"

She blurted it out rather quickly. The muscles in her face were wrought with tension, tentative gaze fixed on the dirt. The pair of hired assassins both turned their attention on her.

"No. I merely incapacitated him."

_Huh. So, he's alive, then._

_But...why?_

Silently, she pondered what had stopped him from claiming his brother's life. She said nothing, opting instead to fall back on her defense mechanism of choice: keeping her mouth closed and shuttering her posture in an effort to remove all semblance of detectable animosity. She shrank two inches in stature, blank-faced, expression unreadable.

Itachi shifted his focus back to his partner.

"Did Kabuto come alone?"

The tip of Kisame's sandal pushed against the henchman's lifeless cheek.

"Yes. It seems that they're a little short-staffed; the hired muscle we took down at the base was in fact the bulk of their defense."

Silence was the only response he received, so the the shark continued.

"We're lucky that they didn't sic any of those test-tube monsters after us. If they had, I'm not so sure how well we would have fared."

The misery in Tsumoi's heart thrummed at the mention of the prisoners they had left behind.

_They couldn't have come after us, even if they wanted to._

She glanced at the ring of violet and moss-colored bruises that encompassed the needle marks in the crook of her elbow.

_Most experiments are kept sedated at night._

"Hm. If Kabuto was in the area, then logic dictates that Orochimaru himself is most likely nearby. We should stay vigilant."

The calm of Itachi's voice complemented his cold reasoning.

"Can't you scan the area with your sharingan?"

The shark's tone was quizzical. Itachi shook his head.

"I expended quite a bit of chakra putting my brother in a genjutsu; I need to conserve the remainder of my power."

Kisame's chin titled downward.

"Understood."

Tsumoi fidgeted, making an effort to cope with the generalized discomfort she felt. Kisame's jutsu had left the earth beneath them well saturated, her bare feet squelching repulsively in the resulting mud. She could feel the discussion rolling to a close.

"We should get going."

The momentary silence acquiesced to Itachi's detached tone. Two onyx pools drifted to meet her eyes, void of any humanity.

"Don't fall behind."

She nodded indifferently before following them up into the thick canopy of trees.

* * *

They had been traveling for approximately half an hour when the wall of trees before them began to thin, and Kisame mentioned offhandedly that they were rapidly approaching the border. About ten minutes in, a veil of comfortable silence had unfurled between the trio of traveling shinobi, which Tsumoi took great solace in.

And then, Kisame had to go and start poking holes in it. At some point, he had grown bored enough to initiate a thoroughly unprovoked and unwelcome round of twenty questions with her. Naturally, the bulk of his inquiries were things that she did not wish to answer.

"About how long would you say that you've been running with Orochimaru and that slippery little manservant of his?"

To be frank, Tsumoi wasn't quite sure. In the broadest sense of time, she knew that it had to have been several years; however, her memory had become so muddled that she couldn't make a precise judgement. She didn't feel confident lying, and thus, she concluded that ambiguity was the best course of action.

"A few years, from what I can recall."

He hummed, and the peace between them was recaptured.

For all of thirty seconds. And then, he was prying again.

"So, what's with the hair? Or lack thereof. I'm sure there's a _fun_ story behind it..."

He glanced back at her. There was that grin again.

"You lose a bet?"

Her eyes left his, avoiding his gaze, and she could feel a part of her spirit powering down. She didn't want to answer that. A chilling drip of recollection trickled its way down the prominent projections of her vertebrae at the memory of Kabuto’s voice blasting through her mind.

_”This is necessary in preparation for the exploratory procedures that Lord Orochimaru wishes to begin performing."_

_A peal of cavalier laughter._

_”How vain, to be upset over something so trivial. Toughen up. It’ll grow back eventually.”_

The feeling of a cold, straight blade destroying what little self confidence she had by shearing away the one thing about herself that she actually sort of liked was a memory that she had regrettably retained, and one that she would rather not indulge. She shoved it into the closet that the back of her mind had become, to mingle with the rest of the skeletons there.

In a completely unprecedented move, Itachi scolded his partner's behavior.

"Kisame. Stop bothering her."

To say that Tsumoi was surprised was an understatement. To her relief, Kisame complied, albeit a bit begrudgingly.

"Tch...fine. Whatever you say."

But Tsumoi wasn't going to let it end there. Emboldened by the taciturn Uchiha's unanticipated input, she leveled the blue one with a query of her own. She was tired of going by 'kid.'

"Aren't you at least going to ask me my name?"

Her tone was carefully guarded; conversational, but partially disengaged. From her limited dorsolateral view of him, she could only see the left-most part of Kisame's face as he considered her question.

"Hmmm...I suppose that would be the appropriate thing to do. You got a name, kid?"

She paused.

"...I am called Tsumoi."

She saw the corner of his eyebrow scrunch.

”What kind of a name is that? It doesn’t make any sense..."

Her sigh was subtle enough to go unnoticed.

”It would be easier to understand if I could write it down. It’s meant to be read as a number.”

Kisame’s confusion was punctuated by the deep plunk of his shoe against a heavy branch.

"Yeah, but _what_ number? Hundred...million...thousand..?"

He shrugged.

"Huh. Odd name."

Tsumoi's eyes narrowed.

_So is Kisame._

"It's more of a placeholder than a name. Back in the good old days, test subjects used to be numbered. But over time, Orochimaru experimented on so many of us that he lost count. So, they called me Tsumoi."

Tsumoi’s name was one of the only things that held any significance for her, because it was the only thing that truly belonged to her. Sure, it was a shitty one; it was hardly a name at all. She was aware of that.

But it was _hers_.

He glanced back at her with a hint of disbelief.

"Wait a minute...so, you're telling me that you don't have an _actual name?_ "

She winced when the bare skin of her right sole struck a splintered knob of wood as she jumped.

"I'm sure that I had one at one time, but I've since forgotten it."

There was a pause.

"Well then, I suppose we're just going to have to make something up for you."

For the first time since they had set out for the Hidden Rain Village, she saw Itachi's eyes slip to the right to observe his partner. It only lasted for a second, but for an Uchiha, a second was a generous thing.

"How about...gaikotsu?"

She frowned. His insults were becoming less and less playful as time went on. He stole a glance at her over the tall collar of his cloak.

"No? Hmm..."

She said nothing, but he could tell by the way her face became tense that he was striking a nerve.

"Wait, I know..."

She looked up at him with wary anticipation. His strange, pearlescent eyes were teeming with mischief, and she knew that he was going to say something nasty.

" _Busu_."

His face was stretched into an amused sneer when he said it, like a grade school child who had just insulted a classmate on the playground. She felt boneless. A sickly pang of melancholy curled through the intersection of her stomach and her soul, and her entire demeanor changed. Tsumoi would've preferred a punch to the gut over the dismal feeling that was blooming within her now. She was on the verge of tears, and she was suddenly aware of the need to get away from them before they fell. If Kisame saw her crying, he'd have even more ammo to use against her.

She came to a sharp stop on the next branch and pivoted, taking off blindly at a 90-degree angle. She blazed through the sparse trees, desperate to distance herself from the pair before they saw how deeply the demon shark's running dialogue on her appearance had affected her.

_I can't help it._

She knew that they wouldn't be far behind. She could hear yelling, hear the soles of their sandals slamming against the branches behind her and pulling them closer to where she was.

_I had no control over what happened to me._

Unceremoniously, she dropped to the forest floor, coming to rest against a large boulder. The cold of the stone permeated her back, mingling with the lingering chill that crawled over her body. Eyes glazed, she stared at the ground as if she could see fathoms deep into it. Her mind was a movie reel, snippets of savagery and dehumanization spliced together and playing on a loop inside her head. Sorrow consumed her, dominating every crevice of her spirit; at that moment, there was no room for her to feel anything else.

_I had no choice._

Every mark that marred her face and her body was their fault. Every scrape and nick and cut and staple and suture that had torn into her and healed over in shiny pink stripes of scar tissue were their fault. Every protruding rib, every crooked bone, every patch of stubble that covered her scalp was _their fault_.

_They did this to me._

The wetness accumulating in the beds of her lower eyelids spilled over, trickling down the malnourished slopes of her face. Her expression was blank. Lost. She didn't register the hand clasping itself around the bony cap of her shoulder, didn't look up to see the tomoe spinning in two freshly stirred, blood-colored eddies. A part of her that she had become momentarily unaware of was stunned that he didn't have the blade of a kunai pressed to her throat.

Then again, based on what information that Kisame had been willing to divulge, they hadn't been ordered to kill her.

"What are you doing?"

His impassive tone belied a sliver of what her brain construed to be ire.

**"Tsumoi."**

Her name sounded odd coming out of his mouth, but it succeeded in grounding her. Struck like a match, the torrent of fright that had been building in her chest exploded, tearing itself free from the momentarily lapse of her senses that had suppressed it.

“Don’t fucking touch me.”

Her voice was weak and low, cracking as she ripped her shoulder free from slender, calloused fingers.

"Look...I didn't ask for you two to show up. I didn't ask for _any_ of this."

The small pebbles at her feet began to vibrate.

Her eyes were as furious as they were fearful, trailing up to dart between both of their faces; however, she didn't hesitate to meet Itachi's deathly gaze, sharingan or not. Her eyes darted deliberately to Kisame.

"And I'll be _damned_ if I'm about to stand here and let someone who looks like _you_ call _me_ ugly."

She gestured to herself with a sweeping hand.

"All of this, the way I look, this is what _somebody else_ decided for me. I had no say in it. But what **I** choose for myself, without any threat of execution, or starvation, or bodily harm...those decisions are the only thing that you have any right to criticize me for, because they are the only thing that have been entirely _my_ decision to make. And right now, I am choosing to go with you."

She exhaled shakily.

"So, from here on out, judge me by _my_ choices, because they are the only thing that reflect who I am as a person."

Her words were driven home by another sharp glare aimed at the former Mist shinobi.

"Leave my appearance out of it."

For once in his life, Kisame was dead quiet. The only detectable sound around them was the distant chirping of starlings awaiting the light of the morning. Tsumoi gave the Uchiha a casual glance, mindful that his eyes were still stained a lethal red.

"You can turn those off now, I'm not going anywhere."

Itachi appeared to be as disinterested as ever, but he was kind enough to offer her a modicum of acknowledgement by allowing the carmine cast over his gaze to fade to black.

Kisame began to chuckle, and she bristled defensively.

"What're _you_ laughing about?"

"That was some speech..."

Tsumoi grit her teeth behind closed lips, snide retort at the ready.

"...but I respect that. You've got gumption, kid. It's a nice quality to see in someone as young as you."

Tsumoi was astonished when her brain finally computed that he had just complimented her. She sputtered.

"P-Please...not ‘kid.’ Just Tsumoi."

He shot her an amicable smile.

"Yeah, yeah..."

The topic of conversation quickly veered back to their journey, courtesy of Kisame, a move which Tsumoi welcomed gingerly. She was beginning to feel a bit awkward after causing such a scene.

"Itachi, how much longer?"

The Uchiha's response was dispassionate, though the breathier quality his tone had taken on indicated that he was a bit more tired than before.

_Shouldn't have flipped those crazy eyes on..._

"We are currently straddling the border between Grass and Rain. We will arrive in roughly an hour, provided there are no further setbacks."

Tsumoi was fairly certain that the latter portion of his response was fairly pointed, a precisely understated jab that she chose to ignore.

Kisame nodded.

"Right."

It was then that the stillness of the impending dawn was ruptured by the sound of slow, derisive applause, and the reprehensible glissade of a voice that didn't belong to any of them sashayed its way into the cool air. There was no question whom it belonged to.

"What a moving performance, girl. Truly riveting."

Tsumoi blanched. Orochimaru's jeering tone bit into her like a vengeful viper, and she could feel the blood draining from her face and falling into her extremities as he strutted into the clearing. Villainous wrath billowed off of him in dark waves, the heather markings around his serpentine eyes narrowed. His expression was sour and thoroughly displeased.

"Gentlemen, I'll be taking back what's mine. Now, if you would kindly hand it over..."


	3. Sabotage

"Orochimaru."

The corners of his serpentine mouth encroached upon the hollows of his cheeks, long hair swaying with the suave motion of his cocking head.

" _Itachi_."

The Uchiha's name was practically sang to him in response, revulsion churning up the acid in the pit of his stomach. Tsumoi's darkened gaze trailed between the two of them as she drew an uncomfortable breath, inhaling the stifling tension that had swallowed up the remainder of breathable air.

"I gather that the two of you know each other, then."

"Yes."

Their replies were entwined in unintentional unison.

"Itachi and myself go _way back_."

Orochimaru's lively golden eyes made no effort to hide that their pasts were indeed a bit more complicated than that, though no parties present pressed the issue. Itachi blinked, irises still a somber shade of black, for now. His tone was deceptively dispassionate.

"I was hoping the next time I would see you would be in hell. How unfortunate."

Orochimaru laughed deep in his throat as he toyed with the prospect of hell, balking at the outlandish notion of himself residing within it. Hell was, ultimately, a destination for bottomdwellers of the human variety, a title that Orochimaru refused to claim. To him, "humanity" was merely a sleeve, a simple state of being that he had forfeited many a pilfered body ago. However, he saw no harm in humouring him.

"I wouldn't hold my breath, if I were you; I'm not ready to leave just yet. Perhaps, one day when I finally grow bored enough to die, we shall indeed commune in hellfire. But until then, I think I will continue to plunder this world for every scrap of intrigue and fascination that can be mined from it. And that will undoubtedly keep me busy for quite some time."

Slit pupils slipped a brief but deliberate glance in Tsumoi's direction, sending tremors down her arms. As if to remove any doubt, one look from him reiterated her position in his ranks: just another bauble in his conglomeration of potentially interesting things, a frivolous and perpetual avocation which would never reap completion. For all of the strength and wisdom he had accumulated throughout his stolen years, Orochimaru was a slave to his own insatiable curiosity. That, and his interminable pursuit of an Uchiha to host his eternal spirit. Tsumoi thought dryly that the ball was certainly in his court in regards to the latter.

"Though it has become somewhat more troublesome over the years, I find that this mortal plane still has much to offer...including that nubile brother of yours. Oh yes, he's coming along _nicely_."

The subtle clench of a fist under the draping fabric of a cloud-covered sleeve was Itachi's only response, the ensuing silence filled by more of Orochimaru's long-winded monologuing.

"Sasuke is quite the promising specimen; I dare say that he is the pinnacle of the Uchiha Clan's regrettably... _defunct_ vitality. He has become even more desirable to me than _you_ , Itachi."

Itachi's normally stoic expression fell into a disgruntled frown. Orochimaru's sharp canines gleamed through the sinister sliver that opened up in his thin-lipped smile.

"He will make a fine vessel _indeed_."

The only indication that the kunai had been thrown at all was the whistling of the blade slicing the pre-morning air in two. Dodging the blade quite easily, Orochimaru's pasty arm launched forward in response.

"Striking Shadow Snake!"

The appendage proceeded to split into four equal parts, morphing into a flurry of fangs and hissing tongues that was deadset on inflicting a series of fatal bites. The quartet of slithering reptiles darted forward, each triangular head aiming for a different vital spot.

The Uchiha reciprocated in full as nimble fingers wove a rapid series of hand signs before settling into the final seal.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

A quadruple dancing flames swallowed up each serpent's head, singeing them into submission. They hissed and writhed as the fiery petals ate their way up their bodies, as if they were strings of scaly twine covered in gasoline. Orochimaru winced as they fell limp, retracting back into the solid form of his forearm. His chalky skin slipped back into place, scorched patches forming a splotchy fuschia path up his arm from the fire.

Not a second passed before his jaw unlatched and his slippery tongue was jetting out to ensnare his now red-eyed opponent. It coiled around the Uchiha, spooling around his torso with a muscly 'snap.' Orochimaru's expression became as unhinged as his jaw and he gagged, bringing up a stored blade from the recesses of his belly. Tsumoi felt the back of her throat spasm with disgust. Retrieving the blade from the cavernous maw that now comprised the bottom half of his face, he stepped forward, closing the compact distance between himself and his captive. He thrust his arm forward, the blade intruding into Itachi's body with a squelch. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he coughed. 

Tsumoi gasped, curled fingers coming up to brush across her lips, and she was running forward before her body knew she was moving. Kisame scoffed, grabbing a handful of the back of her shirt and ripping her backward.

"Relax, kid. He doesn't need our help."

Her arms flailed awkwardly behind herself as she grasped for his gargantuan hand in an effort to relinquish his grip. His clutched fist held firm as she grunted.

"Just watch."

At the sound of frenzied cawing, Tsumoi's worried eyes flew back to the chaos before her to see a coiled tongue that was now devoid of one elder Uchiha. Instead, Orochimaru was alone on the battlefield, surrounded by a murder of rambunctious crows. As the wayward flock dispersed into the trees, taking her temporary sense of wonder along with it, Tsumoi was once more aware of the tugging at her back. Furrowing her brow, she stretched around enough to smack a blue hand away from her shirt before taking a step forward. Kisame snorted. 

"I figured that it would be a stretch for someone as skilled as you to fall victim to the same trap twice. It seems that I was mistaken."

Itachi's voice sounded from the left where he had chosen to materialize, Tsumoi's eyes snapping toward the sound of it. Orochimaru was stiff as a board, at some point having fallen prey to his opponent's visual prowess. The snake chuckled sardonically, struggling a response through gritted teeth.

"Paralysis genjutsu. Such skill...I...never even met...your eyes. _Extraordinary_..."

Orochimaru's fingers twitched as he spoke, testing the limits of his restricted movements.

"But I'm afraid...things will not play out...the way that they did those years ago. You see...I have new tricks...to use against you now."

The serpent's chin tilted downward, casting his spooky features in shadow as his middle and index fingers stretched straight down by his side, his ring and pinky fingers curling into his fist. Itachi's eyes narrowed.

A hand sign. 

He forced more chakra into the genjutsu in an effort to keep him from forming the sign, but it was too late.

_It's no use. He's a Sannin, and I'm exhausted. I'm losing my grip on him quickly._

"Kisame, he's forming a hand sign. I'm unsure of what he plans to do next, but stay on your guard. I can't hold him much longer."

The shark shinobi's brow furrowed a fraction, a bit taken aback by his partner's advice; he knew Orochimaru was a Sannin, but he was sure that Itachi was a noble rival. However, he was also aware that they hadn't rested in days, and Itachi was practically running on fumes. Rationalizing his companion's request, his chin dipped once in acknowledgement.

"Right."

Almost giddily, Orochimaru's gilded gaze sparked with anticipation as he hissed something under his breath.

" _Patience_."

Tsumoi was suddenly fixed with the relentless sensation of buzzing inside of her head, ears ringing like shrine bells. Her brain felt like it had been cracked open into a skillet and was being cooked overeasy. Dull eyes screwed shut as she rode out the uncomfortable sensation.

_What the fuck...?_

It was the last semblance of thought she had before her vision tunneled into nothingness. The buzzing morphed into a chorus of deafening wails, as if her head were full of a swarm of locusts. The debilitating cacophony blared against the confines of her skull with such intensity that she was one shaky breath away from being sick. Just as the thought that she could bear no more crossed the wall of sound inside her mind, her last sliver of self-control was lost. All at once, the ghost of a sigh left her body as her shoulders slumped. Her head rolled back to face the deep grey of the sky, the whites of her eyes clouding over her irises and pupils until they were wholly absorbed by the surrounding sclera. Her mouth gaped as her spirit fell into sleep, replaced by the will of another.

Behind her, Kisame arched a brow at her sudden and strange difference in posture.

"What's up with you?"

At her lack of response, he pressed on.

"Hey, get it together. That shifty serpent is going to be free soon-"

She turned militantly, head lolling as milky orbs void of anything at all fixed themselves on him. When he met her gaze, taking note of how odd her eyes had become, his budding confusion quickly spiralled into something more primal. His heart beat faster, and he could feel the hot rush of blood in his ears. A disquieting and foreign pang of familiarity plotted a course through his psyche as he suddenly remembered what fear felt like.

Spurned by her curious change in nature, Itachi scraped at his depleted chakra stores, siphoning more energy into his eyes. He knew that stretching his strength so thin would weaken his hold on the enraptured Sannin across from him even further, but it couldn't be helped. Scrutinizing her through crimson lenses, he became immediately aware of what was happening. His gaze flew to Orochimaru to confirm his suspicions. The snake's satisfied grin stretched unnaturally wide. 

"Kisame, whatever jutsu Orochimaru is attempting to cast isn't meant for us; he's using it on Tsumoi! Get away from her!"

Kisame swallowed thickly.

"...Tsumoi?"

The warning came too late. She rushed him, too rapidly for him to react. His form caught kenetic fire as a large hand came up to rip Samehada from his back, whipping it vertically over himself before driving the tip into the ground, effectively shielding himself from her. Her impending blow was blocked as her forearm made contact with the girth of the blade, her forfeited chakra being lapped from her in waves. He grinned at the sight of azure chakra being siphoned from her pores, at the feeling of himself growing stronger as Samehada fed him her monstrous strength. The undulating scales of the weapon were visible as it wriggled its way partially free from its bindings. He studied the expressionless mask that was her face for the breath of a second, stared at the dead whites of sclera where an ashen blue hue had once resided, before she vacated his field of vision completely.

It was at that moment that he felt a strange burning swarming through his limbs, permeating the framework of his body. Suddenly, he was much too hot. A deep ache resonated through him, and he could swear that the visible skin on his hands was turning a suspicious shade of purple. Samehada fell from his grip, screeching and writhing as if it had been lit on fire. Disbelief danced across his rugged features, gripping him tightly in time with the pain. 

Across the way, a still-frozen Orochimaru cackled.

"Ah, you can feel it, can't you? The repercussions. I'd be careful...how much of her power you consume...it may very well kill you."

Two sets of amber eyes locked onto one another, purple-rimmed ones boring into Kisame's much smaller irises almost expectantly. Without warning, Kisame's hulking form bent in two, and he vomited. He stared on at the puddle of sick at his sandals in a daze: it was nothing but blood.

_What?!_

Orochimaru's slit eyes narrowed.

"It seems that I was right. It only takes a taste...to render you too ill to stand, and you have eaten your fill."

A raspy, dark laugh followed.

"Gluttonous fool...who knows what will happen to you now."

Spitting out the remnants of metallic slime that lined his mouth, Kisame's reply was hoarser than normal, his voice wrought with the abrupt onslaught of weakness that crawled through him.

"What-what're you talking about-"

He was swiftly interrupted by a fluid form teleporting through the tranquility of the morning. Tsumoi sent an uppercut tearing into his chin, his body forced upright, face snapping toward the sky. He could barely track her movements, struggling to make out her afterimage shuttering behind her. Jumping, her hand roughly cupped the back of his head as she slammed a knee up into his face. Planting a sturdy but delicate foot into the earth as she landed, she spun before poising her right leg up, the punishing kick to his stomach following in such rapid succession that his vision tunneled. She was relentless as she raised a hand toward him, her technique striking him effortlessly, a blinding arc of electricity crackling through the air and straight through the heart of him.

_No hand signs? What kind of jutsu is that?!_

His enormous form rocketed backward into a tree, splintered bark exploding at his back like a bomb had gone off. A throaty howl was forced out of him, the impact wringing his pale purplish body of all rational thought. Every corner of his being was consumed by pain, and his heart palpitated haphazardly as he laboured for breath. 

_This fluttering feeling...she disrupted the rhythm of my heart. Damn it!_

He lifted his hanging head a fraction, grimacing as he watched her stampede toward him mercilessly through half-lidded amber eyes. Something around her billowed in distorted waves like heat coming off of asphalt, the same inexplicable something that was making the hair on his arms stand at attention, that had him vomiting blood only seconds prior.

_She moves so quickly, I barely have time to react. I have to move. If she reaches me again, then it will mean the end for me._

Licking back the fresh trickle of blood that filled the cavity of his mouth, he began to blaze almost desperately through a series of hand signs when he was intercepted by the blurry form of his raven-haired companion, who turned to look at him.

"You look awful."

* * *

The eldest Uchiha had since vanished from Orochimaru's sight, freeing him from the spot his stiff body had been tethered to. Smirking, he promptly slammed his free hand on the ground and summoned a small ivory salamander at his feet.

"Be my eyes, little one. Watch her for me."

After licking a dewy eyeball, the amphibious nymph did as it was told, scurrying off to fulfill its master's command. Raising the arm that was still holding the seal to maintain control over his weapon, he watched the back of her as she retreated from view before taking to the treetops to conceal himself.

_Now, all that's left to do is watch._

* * *

"You can't use water style against her, you know that."

Kisame said nothing in reply, his harsh breaths the only sound that came from him. Itachi studied the peculiar lavender hue that the shark's complexion had taken on, a shade that was even more odd than his normal blue.

"She uses a lightning technique. There are no jutsu in your arsenal that are appropriate to engage her with. You'll just end up electrocuting yourself."

For once in his life, Kisame struggled to speak.

"What do you propose we do? I don't know how much help I can be to you now...I've taken quite a beating."

Itachi had never heard his behemoth of a partner fight for his words before, even when he had been slack-jawed after drinking half his body weight in cheap liquor. Even more shocking was his self-doubt; it was uncharacteristic of Kisame to admit when he had been bested, particularly because it seldom ever happened. The Uchiha hid his surprise well.

"It has become clear that Orochimaru is manipulating Tsumoi by using some kind of jutsu. Our best course of action is to get close enough to subdue her; but first, we must break Orochimaru's control over her."

Realization dawned on the shark then, dispelling the anger and confusion that marred his spirit.

_So, she's a puppet, then. Guess I'll just have to forgive the little runt for pummeling me._

Itachi turned from where his partner was propped against the remnants of the tree.

"If you can manage, take down Orochimaru. Removing his influence over her will be paramount to successfully capturing her."

Amber eyes regarded him quizically.

"And if I fail?"

Itachi paused.

"Then I will have no choice but to utilize my visual prowess fully and overpower her with a genjutsu."

The shark shook his head as if it took everything he had left to do so.

"Itachi, you can't. You've already surpassed your limit-"

"And so have you. You look like you can barely stand."

Kisame wheezed a laugh.

"What're you trying to do, rub it in?"

Tsumoi was approaching them quickly, and Itachi readied himself to enter the fray when Kisame's frail voice caught him.

"Itachi, I have no idea what kind of power she's using. It feels...foreign, unlike anything I've ever come across. Like someone's pouring boiling water into your cells. Watch yourself."

Itachi considered the battered shark's parting words.

"I will."

KIsame watched his partner's back as his form receded into the distance, hoping that he would make good on his word.

Pushing away from the broken bark with the whole of his might, he heaved himself back into a proper standing position. He focused chakra into the upper chambers of his heart to calm their sputtering before swiping a dribble of blood from his nose that he had been unaware was bleeding. Hurriedly, he made his way back to where Samehada had thrown itself on the ground, startled to see it lying in what appeared to be a puddle of its own vomit. Kisame was unaware that it was even capable of such things. He gripped it almost affectionately, even as it growled at him as he hoisted it up and back into its holster. The scaly sabre was nothing short of pissed.

"Settle down, you. I'll see to it that you eat something proper before the day is out. For now, you can have a bit of mine."

The sword complied with a low grumble, devouring a portion of its master's chakra. Closing his eyes, Kisame allowed some of his remaining power to sweep across the surrounding area in order to locate Orochimaru's chakra signature. He sensed it almost immediately, a bitter and overarching veil that was emanating from the canopy of the forest roughly 30 yards from the direction that his cloaked companion had taken off in.

_Found you._

With a dark and determined grin, he commenced his pursuit of the serpentine Sannin. Beaten down as he was, he was disappointed that he had been knocked out of commission so early in the fight. The taste of blood, even if it was his own, had awoken the most predatory piece of his soul, and he was _itching_ for a good fight.

* * *

Itachi sailed head-on toward the menace in front of him, fiery pace set in time with Tsumoi's mechanical footfalls. He was quick to note that Orochimaru was nowhere in sight, but he knew that he couldn't have strayed too far. When he was forty yards from her, he launched a string of kunai in her direction, concealing one that he intended to use to alter the trajectory of another as soon as she got close enough. An odd flurry of...something caught his eye, small scraps of some indiscernible substance that flurried around her like confetti in a snowglobe. He watched the projectiles drift into the forcefield that surrounded her, intermingling with the unidentified pieces, certain that his aim had been true. But as soon as they crossed the invisible membrane, the confidence drained from him completely, replaced instead by disquieting bewilderment.

They _melted_. 

Every last one had fallen into a puddle of molten metal in the dirt below. He had expected her to block them, sure, but this was ludicrous. In a last-ditch effort to delay her, he threw the remaining blade toward her feet, prompting her to launch herself into the sky above him. Wasting no time, she jettisoned at him like a missile, all brute force and punishing propulsion.

But Itachi was fast, too. He was gone before she touched the ground, reappearing before her just as quickly. She didn't flinch, only stood there mindlessly for a millionth of a second before her arm was shooting out to block his incoming hit. His sharingan blazed, anticipating her every move; but even with his superior eyes, he was quickly discovering that while they were perfectly fit to track her, his body was nearly too slow to keep up. He evaded a low sweeping kick, hands fisted together in preparation to slam them down onto the top of her head, but she was out of his range before his body could make good on the signal from his brain to strike. 

Tsumoi's empty vessel continued to move without her consent; at times, she was landing hits without even looking in his direction. He knew Orochimaru couldn't be far. He had to be watching for her to prevail in their fight so consistently; this was his doing, after all. As he fought to match her strength in a tangled fury of taijutsu, he wondered where the snake could be, and if his partner had found him yet.

* * *

"So, this is where you're hiding."

Orochimaru's only reply was the shifting of a sandal that was propped up on an adjacent branch, glazed eyes never straying from...whatever the hell he was looking at.

"My my, after all that babbling back there, you're going to clam up now?"

The serpent remained silent, merely jumped to avoid the sweeping slice of Samehada that had threatened to relieve him of his feet. Kisame smirked.

"Come now, don't be shy. You aren't fooling anyone; we all know that you're a far cry from a shrinking violet."

Affronted by the cold shoulder act that Orochimaru was putting on, Kisame decided on a different button to press. 

"I do hope that you'll present more of a challenge than your lecher of a counterpart. Or are you going to disappoint me, as well?"

Laughter.

"So, you've crossed paths with Master Jiraiya, I see. That arrogant oaf..."

Although he never turned to look directly at the shark, Orochimaru's expression grew dark, as if he and his opponent both knew that he had something to prove.

"He is _nothing_ compared to me."

Rows of sharpened teeth glinted from where they were nestled within in Kisame's feral grin. He could barely contain himself. Thick, calloused fingers that gripped the hilt of his blade twitched with a thrilling surge of fiendish excitement.

" _Show me_."

* * *

Itachi felt like he was fighting a losing battle; try as he did to counter her attacks, she still had him on the offensive. She had since rushed him, closing their 30-yard distance and opting for close combat. Their short range gave him the opportunity to evaluate her person further, looking for anything that may help him win this fight; upon closer inspection, he realized that the mysterious substance that he had observed fluttering around her were flakes of skin that had sloughed off. There were raw red patches on her arms and legs where the epidermis had presumably melted away. 

Her palm came up to face him, and suddenly, he recalled what had happened to Kisame the last time she had assumed this stance. The golden web of voltage she released seared the bottom of his robe as he flew through the air to evade her, singed fabric fluttering behind him as he landed in a crouch. He winced as his soles made contact with the earth; his medication was wearing off already, all of the tremors and agony resurfacing with new vigor. The pace of this fight wasn't sustainable for him. He knew he had to end this. 

_This isn't working. I didn't want to have to resort to using my sharingan, but it seems as if I'll have to. I must find an opening and put her under a genjutsu before it's too late._

Again, her hand came up in an attempt to blast him with yet another surge of power. He rolled away, only this time, something was different: her technique sputtered, only a measley torrent of sparks falling from her hand. Realization gripped him like salvation.

_Her technique...there is a period between bursts that she has to recharge her jutsu._

His jaw set.

_This is the opening I've been waiting for. Now, all I have to do is keep dodging, and calculate how much time lapses between her attacks..._

* * *

"Is that all you've got?!"

Kisame roared, the fierce swing of his blade divesting the tree they stood on of its lush canopy. Orochimaru continued to evade, eyes ever fixed on something just over Kisame's shoulder, as if he were in a trance.

_What the hell is he looking at?!_

He swept his blade out again, bloodlust threatening to boil him alive, begging whatever deities that happened to come to mind to _just let him rip into something_ when the girth of his sword finally connected with his slender opponent's body. He tore it back toward himself quickly, strips of pale flesh coming with it.

Blank stare now shifting entirely to focus on Kisame, Orochimaru offered up an enraged snarl before tumbling into a pile of small, white snakes. They began a frenzied slither away from their point of origin, picking up splinters in their bellies in their haste to escape. A good few fell to their demise from the lofty branches, others coiling around them like thick spools of ivory, reptilian yarn. Kisame breathed an annoyed sigh as one particular serpent hissed in his general direction, scanning the area around him for any inkling of the snake Sannin's return to semi-human form.

"Now now, I know you can do better than that. Get back here!"

* * *

Itachi ducked under another swift kick, forearm knocking her leg away. His stamina was rapidly draining from him.

_So fast. If she would just hold still for a second-_

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind that she ceased in her movements, arms falling limply by her sides as if she were a robot whose servos had powered down and returned to a state of rest. The corner of his lip quirked as he internally praised his partner's punctuality.

_Perfect timing, Kisame._

Seizing the opportunity her stillness presented, he shuttered closer to her and summoned a safe amount chakra into his eyes, enough to perform a simple sleeping genjutsu without entirely depleting his stores. His eyes ached as he molded the energy there, gripping her chin and tilted her hanging head to face him before forcing his chakra into the whites of her eyes.

He waited several seconds...and absolutely nothing happened.

_Don't tell me..._

He tried again and was rewarded with the same result. Nothing. His shoulders were pushed down by the gravity of disappointment and his head shook a fraction.

_It's just as I suspected. Her eyes; she can't even see me. Genjutsu are useless here if I can't access her inner spirit._

It was a trite notion that the eyes were the windows to the soul; however, that didn't stop it from being true, and an Uchiha knew this better than anyone. Seeing that she was still standing quite lifelessly in front of him, he took the opportunity to step forward and deliver a strike to her stomach. She folded like the first crease in a crisp sheet of origami paper, and down she went. He jumped away, creating safe distance between them. Gaze never leaving her temporarily motionless form, he took a moment to reevaluate his approach.

_She won't stay down for long; I need to think quickly. Genjutsu won't work here, and my kunai are of no use, either. To make matters worse, my chakra is dangerously low; I cannot go casting jutsu so recklessly._

His molars gently pulled at the inside of his cheek as he contemplated his next move.

_Her taijustu is sloppy, but she makes up for it with sheer speed. However...if I can just manage to dodge her strikes and her lightning-style technique long enough to tire her, then I can take her down with simple taijutsu. That seems to be the best course of action here._

Itachi's taijutsu skills were well on par with any kage's, and his response time was immaculate. He was confident that if he forced her to exhaust herself enough to dampen her velocity that his odds of success were fair. Still, doubt lingered in the back of his mind; he worried that he would not be able to contain her while she was alive. If fate were cruel enough to realize his concerns, then his hands were not only tied, but they would be covered in her blood, as well.

_If I am unable to stop her, then I will be left with no choice. I will be forced to end her life._

Mind made up, he breathed a resolute sigh. He knew what he had to do: what shinobi were trained to do.

The shifting sound of grass flattening under the soles of bare feet stirred him from his introspection, and his hand shot up in a blur to catch her wrist in his palm. At the feeling of the skin there being scorched away, he ripped his hand back, chancing a glance down at the bright red that now marred the flesh of his palm. There was steam coming off it, off of her, and he jumped away from her before blinding veins of electricity could touch him. He added up the time in his head.

_Three minutes; she can only perform that technique once every three minutes._

Confidence blossomed within him as he readied himself to engage her again.

_That's plenty of time._

* * *

Kisame was quickly discovering how Orochimaru had managed to live to the ripe old age of 54; he was just too damn slippery. Even after landing a series of crippling blows on him to the point that they had fallen to the forest floor, he couldn't pin him down for more than seconds at a time before he found some way to slither away and reverse the damage. At present, it happened to be some sort of reincarnation jutsu. 

As he watched the snake Sannin break his own jaw to allow enough clearance to vomit out a new version of himself, he quickly decided that Orochimaru was the most repulsive man he had ever fought. The slime-covered snake's reborn vessel squirmed to and fro in a squelching heap, and he capitalized on the opportunity to move in for the kill.

_Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage!_

Using his technique to liquefy the surrounding earth, he sailed under the ground until he could smell the snake's stiflingly repugnant chakra directly above him. The energy fluctuated profusely, still struggling to overcome its infantile instability and reclaim maturation.

"Too slow!"

Kisame erupted from the ground, trapping Orochimaru within the Water Prison Jutsu before he could fully recuperate.

"Quite the unpleasant fellow, aren't you? And resilient to boot. With an arsenal of regenerative techniques, you are virtually impossible to kill. Fortunately for me, I am quite skilled at incapacitating my enemies."

He stared at the rippling image of his captive thought the wall of the water prison.

"I won't let you slip away again."

As the serpent struggled to breathe, his hands came up to claw at his throat. His fingers fell free of the hand sign he had been assuming, and Kisame knew he had successfully fulfilled his partner's order. 

* * *

It took little time for Itachi to gain the upper hand, implementing his strategy beautifully. He had even managed to get in several punishing blows to different parts of her body, slowing her down each time. There was only one problem: every time he touched her, whatever part of him had made contact was left stained with a vibrant vermilion sting. Luckily, his shins were covered courtesy of the Akastuki-issued stirrups, and had not taken too much damage. His hands and wrists, however, were a different story. They were hot to the touch, throbbing as if they had grazed the surface of the sun.

Tsumoi's assault upon him was merciless, leaving no time to worry about the pain. Her incoming chop stopped just short of forceful contact, the edge of her hand grazing the smooth flesh at the crook of his neck. He had just reached up to block her when, once again, she ceased all movement. Her shoulders lurched and her head drooped, looking half-dead in the middle of the battlefield. 

_Kisame must have interfered with the jutsu again. This is my chance._

Without delay, he dashed in front of her, grasping her shoulders. Hooking an ankle behind her leg, he swept away her footing, robbing her of her balance as she tumbled to the ground. She hit on her side, rolling to rest on her stomach, and the knee that he ground into the column of her spine forced her to stay there. A red eye twitched at the acute stinging that began a steady trek up his thigh, dulled only by the fabric of his pant leg.

He recovered a spool of wire from one of his tactical pouches and managed to shift both of her hands into one of his own. The remains of a repressed groan of discomfort escaped him as he bound her wrists; restraining her hands sent a scorching pain rushing through his skin. He looped the remaining wire vertically around the rings that encircled her arms and twisted it, reinforcing its security. As soon as he was confident that she couldn't escape, he turned her over onto her back and began the burdensome process of stirring her back to consciousness. He knew that he had to work quickly. Even though her movement was limited, something around her was building, as if she were going to explode. He jostled her shoulders, begging internally for any semblance of cognizance to emerge.

"Tsumoi...hey..."

The air around her buffeted, and the wire around her hands was beginning to sizzle apart. Time was running out.

_Damn it..._

Desperate for a response, he shook her more forcefully.

"Wake up, Tsumoi!"

The metal around her wrists continued to unravel. Itachi was at his wit's end, something that he couldn't recall being in recent memory. Having exhausted all of his options, and his mind quickly becoming devoid of rationality, he did the only thing that he could think of: he flattened his hand and slapped her right across the face, releasing a hiss when the contact with her cheek agitated the burnt skin of his palm.

Her head flew to the side, color blooming in the centers of her white eyes as her irises and pupils rematerialized. Awareness returned to her rapidly, desaturated blue gaze darting in every direction until it landed on his face.

Her brows scrunched with anger.

"What the fuck was that for?!"

Itachi deadpanned, stuffing back the barely-contained _are you kidding me?!_ that threatened to spill out of him. Immediately, he trained his blazing red eyes on hers, tomoe spinning until her lids fell closed and her body was rendered limp. Falling back to sit, he released a long sigh, fatigue clawing through him straight down to the bone. He had really done it this time. He panted, thoroughly straddling the thin line of his absolute limit.

* * *

Kisame manipulated the water prison jutsu so that the cascade of water surrounding Orochimaru's head fell away, and allowed him to breathe while the remainder of the aqueous orb secured him in place. A raspy curse escaped him as he gasped for air.

"Damn you!"

Kisame clicked his tongue, chiding the Sannin.

"Oh come now, I was magnanimous enough to free your head, and that's how you choose to speak to me? How impolite."

Orochimaru simmered silently in his discontent for a small while, and the shark shinobi savored the moments that he spent with his mouth closed. They were short-lived; he launched into a cryptic rant, his tone taking on a more foreboding quality.

"You're a dead man walking, you know."

Kisame let slip a cynical laugh.

"As are we all."

There was a pause before the snake continued.

"You misunderstand. That girl...when you absorbed her chakra, you took her poison into yourself."

Kisame said nothing, morbid curiosity silently beckoning him to press on.

"That is the danger with that one: even if you survive the battle, you have already died. She has killed countless times; the progression of the sickness is always the same. I'm sure that you will be no different."

Navy brows knitted.

"What do you mean?"

The restrained Sannin offered a more detailed explanation.

"It won't happen today, not even tomorrow. But in the coming weeks, your fate will grow unmistakable. Your nose will bleed. Your body will tire. Your bones will turn to dust. Of course, there is no definite timeline over which these events shall occur."

He paused, smiling coldly.

"But one thing is certain: you will succumb to a slow and agonizing death. There is no stopping it now."

Kisame grappled with the urge to re-submerge his adversary's head to shut him up, but thought better of it. Half of Akatsuki would never forgive him if he were to kill Orochimaru in favor of them carrying out the deed themselves. Deidara was already irritating enough without holding a grudge against him. Instead, he opted to raise the water level to envelop his serpentine mouth while leaving his face exposed from the nose-up. He then created a water clone that would maintain the jutsu long enough for himself, Itachi, and Tsumoi to escape. By the time Kisame was out of range and the clone and water prison dispelled from lack of chakra, they would be long gone.

"Pardon my language, but I do believe that you're full of shit. I won't fall for your scare tactics, Orochimaru. I'm no genin."

The Sannin squawked from within the fluid-filled prison, shouts and curses buffered by the thick wall of liquid. Kisame chuckled.

"Thanks for the heart-to-heart, but I'd best be off now. It's been fun. Until we meet again."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

_I wasn't expecting this battle to bring me so close to the edge._

Lethargically, Itachi fished inside his robe for the glass pill bottle and took another, swallowing hard to force down the dry capsule. He slipped the container back into his robe, standing and dusting off a muddied pant leg. A twitch of movement caught his eye a few yards away; a stark-white salamander contrasted the deep grey of the stone it was perched on, surveilling him intently. He recognized the chakra signature that emanated from it.

_I see. So, this is how he watched our battle._

Astutely, he retrieved a kunai from the dwindling supply in his pouch. He'd have to restock when they returned to Amegakure. He launched it directly into the albino amphibian's neck, the apex of the blade puncturing straight through to the solid rock. He looked on as it thrashed wildly, recalling how a more innocent version of him had once considered himself incapable of such cruelty, and he breathed a melancholy laugh. Passing years had proven that he was capable of _many_ things.

A flash of black and red entered his peripheral, and he turned to regard his partner.

"Well, that was refreshing. I must say, Orochimaru is certainly worthy of the title of Sannin; although, his techniques are quite vulgar. Ah, and I see you have our little captive here all wrapped up and ready to go. Well done."

Itachi blinked, taking note that his companion's skin still maintained a burnt purple cast.

"Where is Orochimaru now?"

Kisame leveled him with a smug quirk of his lips.

"Oh, he won't be keeping us any further. I've seen to that."

Itachi's tone was commanding.

"That's not what I meant. Go and retrieve him. We're taking him with us."

The shark shinobi raised an incredulous brow.

"What on earth for?"

The worry that he saw swimming in Itachi's black eyes as he surveyed his burnt palm unsettled him.

"Answers. We need to know exactly what this girl is."

* * *

The heavens wept over the sprawling city-scape, coating the towering spires of skyscrapers with thick droplets of rain. Watching his kingdom through rippled lavender eyes, Pain focused on the telepathic voice of his sharingan-wielding subordinate as it recounted the toils of the pair's recent assignment.

"I apologize for our lapse in communication. These unprecedented circumstances set us back several hours, but rest assured that the target has been acquired and we are returning posthaste. In addition, we have taken Orochimaru prisoner and will be bringing him with us. I do not wish to overstep my bounds, but I felt that this was the most appropriate way to glean answers about the girl."

Pain's internal disdain was tightly wound under thick strips of self-control, and thus, did not show on his face. He did, however, decide quickly that that was entirely out of the question.

"No, Itachi. Do not bring the traitor with you. I would sooner host the Fire daimyo himself here before I allow that serpent reentry into our base."

There was a calculated pause.

"With all due respect, sir, Zetsu's briefing suggested that he was the one who modified her into this being. She inflicted quite a bit of damage upon us; we need to know what we're dealing with."

Wisteria-colored eyes slipped closed.

"Do not worry, I possess the knowledge you seek. Leave the Sannin behind. I will answer any questions you may have in full upon your return."

The Uchiha conceded.

"Very well. You can expect us within the hour."

The transmission ended there. Orbs of pastel violet rekindled their vitality as he turned to regard the other figure in the room.

"The mission was a success. They encountered several setbacks, but have secured the weapon and will be arriving shortly."

The dark form of a man rested against the wall, arms crossed and shrouded in shadow from the torso upward. A single sharingan eye gleamed from within the shadows, three tomoe swirling up a maelstrom inside the wine-red iris. Obito's velvet baritone resonated through the atrium, encircling them both in a swell of metallic reverberation.

"Excellent. It would seem that everything is going according to plan."

The eldest Uchiha pushed away from the wall, making villainous strides to the exit.

"Perhaps you should go and see them in. But remember, don't get too close; maintain your distance from them until they have been decontaminated."

* * *

"Do not take a single step further."

Kisame snorted.

"I beg your pardon? We brought her all the way here, the least you could do is-"

"You heard me, Kisame. Put her down and back away from her."

It was daybreak when the trio arrived at the base of the tower, although it was difficult to tell; the sky remained dark, shrouded by thick, heavy clouds. Pain had stepped out to greet them, immediately motioning for them to stop.

The team exchanged a puzzled glance before Kisame tipped the blade of his sword, Tsumoi's torpid form sliding down it and plopping unceremoniously into a puddle of mud. Slowly, they obeyed their master's orders, stepping back from her as if she were some sort of sacrificial offering.

"Remove your cloaks and place them on the ground in front of you."

Reluctantly, they complied, slipping out of the notorious cloud-patterned garments. Kisame shrugged, dropping his onto the ground, while Itachi opted to fold his first before setting it down.

"Now, both of you, go inside and take a bath. Be sure to clean yourselves thoroughly; it is of the utmost importance that you do so. Do not stop to do anything else first, go straight in and bathe."

... _what?_

"And your clothes; change into new ones, and destroy the ones you are currently wearing. When you're through, we will reconvene in the rotunda where you will be given further instruction. Do you understand?"

The pair were wholeheartedly perplexed by their leader's unorthodox commands. Silently, Kisame stewed with uncertainty. There was a beat of silence as they hesitated to answer, Itachi offering a reply before Kisame could unload any of the questions that he knew he had cued up in his mind.

"Yes. We will do so at once."

They moved to enter the building when a swaggering mop of blond hair appeared in the doorway.

_Deidara._

Itachi could feel the irritation budding within him before the terrorist had even begun to speak.

"Heh, so where's that girl at? Did you guys find her?"

His laugh was haughty, a humored expression igniting his boyish features.

"Hey Itachi, is she hot? C'mon, be honest."

The Uchiha said nothing.

"Yup, the silence gives you away. She's totally hot, isn't she?"

Kisame suppressed a derisive bellow.

_Sure, kid. She's smokin'._

Deidara's barrage of irrelevant inquiries went ignored. Tutting at the silence that ensued, he bristled in the way teenagers do before Tsumoi's lifeless form on the ground caught his attention.

"Who the hell is that guy? Did you guys bring back a corpse?"

Pain sighed.

_The child is dense, true; this cannot be overlooked. However, he is an asset to our organization._

"Deidara, go inside. This doesn't concern you."

The blond bomber crossed his arms in front of himself with an adolescent scoff.

"Whatever. Just came by to let you know that my man Sasori's packing up the rest of his stuff. We'll be out of here in ten."

Internally, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't be around to meddle for a while.

As he began to walk off, he paused, looking back at Kisame and raising a golden eyebrow suggestively.

"Oh. And whenever that 'weapon' chick shows up, you be sure to send her my way when I get back, all right?"

This time, Kisame couldn't hold back his laughter. He shot Deidara a mischievous wink.

"You _bet_ we will, boy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey my dudes, good to be back. Sorry for the delay. Life happened, and time gotta away from me a little bit. This chapter was kind of a bitch to write, although, Orochimaru getting his nasty ass beat was a joy to type. As promised, more members of the Akatsuki have finally made their appearance, and the remaining members will be included in the next chapter. As always, thanks for stopping by, I enjoy our time together. See ya in the next one!


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